From The Beginning
by speedfanatic05
Summary: Every story has a beginning....
1. Chapter 1

From the Beginning

By: Speedfanatic05

A/N: I have more stories that need attention, but this one just wouldn't let me go. I found it intriguing that we know next to nothing, except what we are given by canon, about our team from Miami. This is just a take of their past , through my perception.

A/N #2: This takes place before a few years before the first episode of Miami, which would put the time around 1999, working forward, of course, however, I am taking liberties with the information. If there are mistakes, they are mine only.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Miami, all of that is the expressed property of CBS, and JB.

Thanks to Crimelab.NL for supplying me with background info!

Summary: Every story has a beginning...

"_To know one's future, one has to learn from one's past..."_

Chapter One

_New York -1999_

The door opened and she walked through, her long brown hair put up in a messy bun as she eyed the slabs to her right. With a sigh, she walked slowly to the back, placing her bag on the racks that held an assortment of lab coats and scrubs, each of them holding the simple script of the New York City morgue , stitched across the right side. Picking the pair that had her initials on them, she turned and walked into the changing room, a feeling of despair riding her every move. If only she had said something, made notice of the error that would ultimately cost someone their life, and her the career she loved and desired the most , she would still be doing that job. Now, she had been cast down, sent to dwell in the bowels of New York to toil away at lives that were no longer viable. No matter what Alexx Woods had to do ,however, she attacked it with fervor and compassion, and just like she had become the top of her field in medicine, so she would in pathology. Besides, the only difference between the two was that one was healing the living and the other was tending to the dead. Both instances held a high regard with Alexx, for a life, lived or still yet to be lived mattered to her, and it was with this respect that Alexx walked through the doors of the morgue every morning for almost four years. Her job was still the same, helping others find peace.

Coming out of the changing room, she pulled a stray hair from her face, making a mental note of her procedures, grabbing the clipboard that hung near the rows and rows of slabs that housed the city's dead. Walking through her domain, she started up the machinery and placed the clipboard back , completing her walk through.

"Well, all that remains is the arrival," she sighed as she glanced at the clock. Eight thirty. The first arrivals would be bursting through the doors any time now.

Like clock work, the doors swished open and a gurney appeared first, followed by two morgue techs and a tall man, his hair wavy, and his brown eyes dancing with delight. Alexx smiled as Sheldon straightened up and glanced her way, smirking some as well. Since her arrival , Sheldon Hawkes had taken a fast liking to the woman, realizing her potential when he witnessed her with her first case. It did kind of freak him out that she talked to the corpses, but her keen observation, and her fortitude of skill outweighed that. As far as Sheldon was concerned, what the medical community had chosen to throw away, was the crime investigation community's gain. He gave her five more years to be at the top of their profession.

"Dr. Woods," he said softly with grin, " I see you are here early. Want to try and beat the rush hour?"

Alexx chuckled as she shook her head, gesturing towards the covered body, " Just making preparations for our first visitor."

"Oh, this guy? He's not going anywhere anytime soon," Sheldon quipped as she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms around her. Sheldon took note and stepped back, "hey, just making polite conversation." He unzipped the body bag and pulled it back, revealing the mangled body. " I give you, Troy Masters. Found at the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge, several contusions about the body, and from what I can tell," he said as he moved to the head of the gurney, pointing to the head, " GSW to the skull."

Alexx gazed into the face of the decedent, her demeanor instantly changing. Putting on a pair of gloves, she placed her hands on his face, lightly touching his cheeks, the flesh almost instantly coming off in her hands. With rush of breath escaping her lungs, she took in the severe decomposition that was present , certain that she could help him.

"A tad bit early to say, Shelly, but I think you might be on to something," Alexx said as she smiled sadly, looking back at his face, "Troy, baby, we are going to get to the bottom of this."

Sheldon watched as the two morgue techs pulled the body bag and then set the body on the slab. They stepped away and Alexx stepped forward, her mind now sharply focused on the poor soul who now lain there. Silence hung deeply as she began her ritual of first preserving any evidence and then bagging. Once she had the preliminary done, she filled her hands with the scalpel and poised it at the left shoulder.

"Tell Mac that I will have COD in an hour," she intoned softly. "I am so sorry , Troy."

Sheldon watched for a few moments later as Alexx began her work, at times speaking as if Troy would respond. He just shook his head and turned to walk out, leaving her to do what she did best. He was fairly certain that Alexx would make this right.

/CSI/

_Miami_

The wind whipped around him, tossing his copper tinted hair about as he stared at the man before him, the dark sunglasses perched upon his neck. The intensity that swam in his expressive blue eyes were focused on the brown younger ones that stared back at him, just as intense. For the moment, the conversation had stalled, and the older man glanced away at the caps of the Atlantic. For so long , Miami had been his home , a place to come back to when there was nothing left for him anywhere else. Miami was where he made his life, his career and there was nothing that could take him away from it.

"I'm doing my job, Horatio," the younger man's voice said, bringing him out of his stupor. Horatio turned to him and smiled faintly, glancing at the ground, trying to find the right words. His brother would never listen to reason, always the first to fly off on a great adventure. What he was trying to make him understand was that they were no longer boys playing in the streets, and that the business that they were both in now was of the dangerous kind.

"Ray, Narco isn't the best field to go into," Horatio stated as he regained his attention to his younger brother, observing as he slacked in demeanor. "It's a dangerous game."

"Oh, and you're telling me that the bomb squad was just a day in the park, huh? There's nothing dangerous about taking apart a bomb."

"Ray," Horatio sighed, moving closer to him. Their gazes met and he could see the rebellion that dwelled in his little brother, " Ray, you have a family now. They need you to come home every night, to be there. You would be making Yelina a widow. And I left the bomb squad , remember?"

"I knew this was about her," Ray returned, turning away, putting his hands on his hips. Another swift movement turned him around once more, the fire burning deep within. He knew that before he married Yelina Salas, his brother had a relationship with the Columbian detective, causing him to question at every turn, his big brother's motives. Every time they were in each other's presence, Ray could swear he saw the flame between them, one that never seemed to extinguish even with the fact of her marriage to him. "It's always about Yelina."

"Ray, this isn't about Yelina. It's about you finally taking responsibility for your actions. Narco is filled with..."

"With what, H? Temptation? Dirty cops? Greed?"

"With deceit," Horatio finished as he looked at his watch. As important as this was, he had a job to get back to. "Ray, what's wrong with staying with Homicide?"

"Why, so you can keep tabs on me? Horatio, the last I checked, I was a grown man and Mom's been dead for almost thirty years. I can take care of myself."

The cell in his pocket rang, stopping him from replying, instead, he grabbed the phone and pressed the button. After a moment, he replaced the phone in his trouser pocket, turning back to his brother, the defiance still dancing in his eyes. He had sworn to his mother that he would always look after Raymond, but it was a promise he had been hard tasked to keep. If he would just listen.

"I'm sure you can, Ray, but just think about it, will ya? I've got to go, but this will continue."

"There's no need, Horatio. I start tomorrow."

"Ray..."

"Go, Horatio. Just go."

He gazed at his brother before returning his gaze to the sea, the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore calming him instantly. Pleading hadn't fazed the younger Caine any bit, and Horatio was out of options. He was going to have to keep a close eye on his brother, to ensure the safety and longevity of his family.

/CSI/

Megan paced the office, deep in thought, her eyes never leaving the carpet that was in front of her. For a week now, she had seen this young man coming in and out of her lab, following one of her investigators. At first, she didn't see the harm in him coming; Jack was probably just showing the kid the ropes, but one glance in the stranger's dark , intense eyes, caused Megan to see differently. She knew the difference between damaged and lost, and this guy was clearly lost. Sighing heavily, she stopped pacing and faced him , her eyes gravitating to meet his stone gray eyes.

"I don't know what the problem is, Meg. He's harmless, Jack said so himself," Sean Donner said as he sat back in her chair, swiveling it around to face the ominous windows that encased her office. The window was a clear view into the trace lab that sat below them, and occupying it at the moment was the man in question. "He's a friend of Jack's nephew, you know, the one who died in New York?"

"Yeah," she said absently as she refocused her sights and thoughts to the carpet. "But , don't you think there's something about him? I mean, I've never seen anyone his age nearly as attentive as he is. Almost like he was born to do this."

"Well, if you feel this strongly about it, recruit him."

"What did you say?" Megan asked, directing her line of sight to the trace lab, watching as the older man directed the younger to the table. She could see the methodical way he moved, almost as if he was sure about what he was doing.

"Recruit him. He looks to be about twenty four, that's what age they graduate college nowadays isn't it?" Sean asked with a grin. If he knew anything about his wife, he knew that she was always on the look out for new talent, her main desire being to build the best CSI team in Florida. She had one piece of that puzzle already , with Horatio Caine joining up a few years back , transferring from the bomb squad. With his keen observational skills and his ability to think ahead of the problem, he was sure that Horatio would be an asset to her team.

"You can't be serious, Sean. He's a stranger, off the street, no less."

"Never judge a book by it's cover , my dear. You'd be surprised of what you will find, if you only ask."

"Alright , Confucius, how do you suggest I go about that? I'm sure that the Chief wouldn't be so happy about spending the tax payer's dollars to babysit."

"Meg, just go and talk to him, see what he is about."

Megan looked between Sean and the trace lab, nodding her head, " Alright, I'll go talk to him."

"Good girl. I'll be at the PD if you need me," Sean responded as he leaned in to give her a kiss. She completed the kiss and smiled as he pulled away, seeing the sly grin. " Don't be too hard on 'em , Meg."

"Soft as a feather," she returned, looking back down at the lab. A knock on the door pulled her attention and she saw as Sean opened it, letting the red haired CSI enter. Moving towards the door, she handed him a file, "Horatio, I need fresh eyes to go over this file. Take Jack with you to the layout room and see what we've got."

Horatio held the file in his hand and nodded, turning to go out of the room, heading for the trace lab. Megan glanced towards Sean as he gestured towards the door, holding it for her. She smirked as she passed him, smelling the faint aroma of his cologne.

"Go get 'em, tiger," he quipped as she walked, continuing down the stair case.

"You owe me dinner if this goes south," she called back. Sean laughed and headed for the elevators, his thoughts already back at the PD. He was sure that she knew what she was doing.

/CSI/

He was in trouble, he could see it in the doctor's eyes when he entered the room, the troubling news hanging about him like a noose. Eric Delko sighed heavily as he sat up straighter, feeling the overwhelming desire to bolt, not wanting to hear what was going to be said. As soon as he felt his arm pop while doing a training lap, he knew that it was over. His dreams of swimming professionally were now drifting away, now being replaced with the thought of a career in science, being that he was going to graduate in the spring with a Chemistry degree under his belt. If he couldn't do the one thing he loved, he thought that he could supplement it with another equally intriguing dream of his.

"I guess you already know, Eric," the doctor started off with a light release of his breath. " You've torn a tendon, leading to the Teres Major."

"Yeah, kinda figured that," Eric replied, his heart deflating. Until he actually heard it from the doctor, he was holding on to that slight chance that his swimming career could be salvaged. He was an eternal optimist that way. "So, what's the news?"

"You will swim again, just not professionally. The strain that would be put on it would be too much, possibly causing more damage as time wears on. It's my recommendation that you don't pursue this any further."

Eric chuckled somewhat as he nodded his head, " Okay, alright. But this injury won't hinder me from recreational swimming ,will it?"

"I don't suppose so. The point is that the stress level in competing is very large , you don't want to do anything to cripple yourself."

"You're right, Doc. So, we are done here?"

"Yes, Eric, we are," he said as he held out his hand, making sure that Eric could shake it with his free hand. "And I'm terribly sorry about this."

"No problem , Doc. I will just have to find something else to do with my time," Eric responded with a huge grin as he released the hand and walked towards the door. The world now held new possibilities for him, he only needed to reach out and grab them.

/CSI/

"Hey, Horatio," Jack greeted as he noticed the red head standing at the door. His companion, lifted his head, and gestured his greetings. Horatio moved inward, glancing inadvertently to the young man then back to Jack, placing the file on the work desk. Jack chuckled as he slipped his gloves off and flipped through the file, shaking his head. "Let me guess, Megan?"

"On the money. She wants us to look over it in the layout room," Horatio stated, catching the younger man's eye sight. "So, who's your friend?"

"Oh, him? Don't pay any attention to him, it's just Tim. He was a friend of my late nephew, God rest his soul," Jack answered with a nonchalant wave.

Tim stepped up and offered his hand, " The name's Tim Speedle."

Horatio took his hand and shook it , noticing the firm grip and clarity in his eyes, " I'm Horatio Caine, CSI level three. Do you have an interest in forensics?"

"Not really, I just thought I would crash in on Jack here and see what he was up to. But, I have to say, it is very interesting work that you are doing here," Tim responded with a small smile. "What I wouldn't give to be able to do something with that Mass spec."

Horatio's eyes lifted as he looked to Jack, seeing the older man shrugging his shoulders, "Interested?"

"Mostly in your procedures," Tim answered as he shoved his hands in his pockets. The only time he didn't think about his reasons for being in Miami in the first place was when he had come to the lab with Jack. He suddenly found himself quite content in it's surroundings.

Horatio could sense something deeper in the man's demeanor, but a sound from behind him tore his focus and he turned to see her standing there expectantly. Megan entered the trace lab and smiled politely as Jack and Horatio made their way out with no words exchanged. Tim moved to go with them, but Megan stopped his forward motion with a hand and a stern gaze. Tim sat back down on the stool, already planning his route out of Miami.

"So, I see that Jack is playing tour guide again," Megan said as she took a seat next to him. She studied his body position, his line of sight and his demeanor. Narrowing her eyes, she continued, her voice crisp, " What are you running from?"

Taken aback somewhat by the question, Tim dropped his head and then raised it, a small scowl on his face, "Who says I was running?"

"The eyes say everything..."

"Tim," he offered as he sat up a little more. "Tim Speedle."

"Tim," Megan repeated ,a smile coming easily. "Like I was saying, the eyes say everything about who we are as a person, what we've experienced, what has disappointed us. It's impossible to escape that. And what your eyes are telling me is that you are searching for something. Now , what I don't know, but I also see a determination to do something."

"I had that determination, but I lost it."

"How?"she asked propping her elbow on the table, placing her chin on her fist. "And if I'm prying, let me know."

Tim sighed heavily as he broke eye contact with her. He hadn't spoken at length about Christopher to anyone, save Jack, but now it felt right. Gathering all he could, he looped his fingers together and started talking, his voice at first, a whisper.

"Chris and I were best friends, did everything together. There was nothing that we couldn't do without the other knowing about it. We were in the top five percent of our class in high school, we applied and were accepted to Columbia for college, he was going to be a chemical engineer, and I was going for Biology. On the spring trip, we went to the mountains. I thought that we were safe..."

"Tim, you don't have to do this," Megan said as she reached out to him, seeing the toll of telling his story. His shoulders slumped more and the strong demeanor was diminished with the thoughts of the past.

"I think I need to," he returned as he looked at her, the sadness hanging about him. She smiled more and he relaxed, sitting back on the stool, gazing at the microscopes. " We got into an accident, he was paralyzed from the neck down. At first, I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to do something to help him. I started hitting the books, realizing that if I finished school, I could possibly find some way to help him. Chris never made it past the first year, he died after a procedure."

"I'm sorry, Tim..."

Tim let a rush of air out of his lungs placing his hands flat on the table, steadying himself, "I ran, I didn't finish school, didn't want to. My sole purpose for continuing on was gone. So I thought to myself, what's the point. I wandered around for a bit until I made my way here, remembering that Chris had an uncle who lived in Miami. And well, here I am."

Megan nodded her head as she changed positions, "Here you are. So, what are your plans from here?"

"I'll tell you when I find out," he quipped, grinning.

"Okay, so, how about getting a job, here? The pay is okay, the hours are murder, but the upside is that the work that we do, puts a lot of minds at ease. The victims never go voiceless here."

"You are offering me a job, ...right now?" Tim inquired, his eyebrow lifted. He couldn't lie to himself, he found the work that Jack was doing intriguing and the thought of doing something to help someone else was paramount. If he couldn't help Chris, maybe this was the path way to healing and understanding.

"Well, you'd have to finish school and intern for a while, but yeah. Why not, it's not like you are hard pressed in doing anything , right?"

Tim laughed at the statement and glanced up ,seeing Jack as he stood at the door, waving him out. Megan turned her head to see Jack Seegar walking in their direction and quickly got up. Tim followed suit and walked through the door, just as the IAB agent turned the corner. With disaster adverted, Jack threw a cautious glare to Tim and he nodded , moving away from Megan. Stopping in mid step he turned back to her.

"You were serious?"

"Yes. Talk to me when you finish your degree. You will have a position here waiting for you, Tim."

"It's Speed," he answered back with a wide grin. "My friends call me Speed."

Megan smiled as she watched the two men walk out of the lab, having a feeling that she would see the dark haired young man again.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

From the Beginning

A/N: I've been finding conflicting information on the characters, but I'm going to go with what I found on Crimelab. NL. Again, all mistakes are mine solely.

Chapter Two

_Six Months later..._

"I don't see why you have to go out again, Ray. You just came in," she said, the strength still in her voice as she stood, her arms crossed. He glared at her as he continued to move through out the house, gathering his things. He wasn't going to come home in the first place, but with what was going down, he wanted to see her again, even if it was the last time.

"I have a job, Yelina. And it has to be done," Ray threw back, snatching his jacket up. "Food won't just appear on the table, you know."

"Ray, we don't have to do this," she countered, her stance softening. Just once she wanted him home. Since joining the narcotics division, she had seen less and less of him, sometimes leaving and not returning for days. When he did come back, Yelina could see the traces of his misdeeds as they floated around him, the obvious evidence apparent. His eyes were hollowed out, his frame leaner than she remembered, and his hands calloused. All of these features were nonexistent six months ago, now it was the tell tale signs that the Raymond Caine she knew no longer resided within him. He was an entirely different creature now.

"Do what, Yelina?"

"Fight. I haven't seen you in a week, Raymond. Your son hasn't seen you in a week. What have you been doing?"

Raymond dropped his gaze and shuffled his feet some before raising his head to answer her, the sound of his voice holding no warmth, " Making the streets safer for the citizens of Miami."

"But we need you here, Ray. Horatio says..."

"You've been talking to my brother?" Raymond asked, his eyes lighting in fury. "What the hell for?"

"You haven't been here, Ray. Ray jr has needs..."

"I'm that boy's father, Yelina. Not Horatio, you understand?"

"He's more of a father than you are turning out to be, Ray," she returned icily. Her brown eyes glistened with anger as she stared him down, daring him to contend with the statement. In all reality, it was the truth, Raymond was not father material, and it was becoming decidedly clear that he wasn't husband material either. " I married you because I loved you, Ray. I didn't do it just to have an absent husband and a father. You have a responsibility to us."

There was that word again. Raymond seethed as he remembered his brothers words, warning him to take responsibility of his life and his family. He moved quickly, walking away from her, into their bedroom, coming back in. He tossed the ring on the floor as Yelina looked on in disgust. Raymond, for a second, held a look of regret and she caught it before it disappeared, knowing in her heart that Raymond was trying to distance himself from her and his family.

"If you want responsibility, give that to Horatio. He is exactly what you and Junior need."

"Why are you doing this? What have you gotten into?"

Raymond remained silent as he picked up the keys to his truck and opened the door, slamming it shut. The noise made her jump and she wiped at the now dropping tears, running a hand through her long curly hair. As much as she wanted to fight for their marriage, she didn't know if it still existed. Crossing the living room, she picked up the phone and dialed his number. Waiting for him to pick up, she sighed heavily, the glint of the ring taunting her from the floor. Her past was now coming back to haunt her, realizing her choices made.

"_Caine."_

"Horatio, it's me. Raymond's gone again."

/CSI/

Horatio pulled the lens from under the microscope, placing it next to the prepared samples of a substance found on a scene earlier. Yawning, he glanced to the clock situated above the door, noting the time and shaking his head. He had been at this for almost four hours, and despite the second shift coming on and promptly leaving for their destinations into the night, Horatio continued at his work. If it was one thing that he had learned through out his life , it was to never give up, never quit. And that was his full focus as he started to place the sample on the slide.

Bending slightly, he slid the side on the microscope and peered into the lense, a quick thought of his brother running through his mind. Despite his desperate pleas, Raymond had taken the assignment with Narco, and just as Horatio suspected, he was quickly submerged in the life. Raymond had abandoned his family in the name of pursuing justice, but Horatio knew better. The allure of the streets had claimed his brother, and it was certain that it would claim his life as well. It was only a matter of time.

The ringing of his cell phone in his pocket jarred him from his thoughts and he stood upright as he brought the contraption up to see his number on the caller id.

"Caine."

"_Horatio, it's me. Raymond's gone again."_

Horatio easily recognized the Columbian accent of his sister in law, the tone reticent of the sadness that had started to take root in her strong voice . Stepping back from the scopes he slipped off the gloves and placed his hand on his hip, closing his eyes. _Raymond_, he thought angrily.

"Yelina, I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Okay?"

Hanging up, he put a fresh pair of gloves on and started on closing up his work. As he worked, he couldn't help but think of the promise that he had made his mother, a deeper sorrow rising in him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save Raymond from himself, and now, he felt deeply that everyone was going to pay the price for his failure.

/CSI/

John sat in the car, watching the other end of the street through binoculars as his partner opened the door and got in. Taking a glance at him, he smirked and snickered, seeing the anxious energy that the man possessed. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the street and watched as a car pulled up, turning off the lights.

"I think that's our guy," John said as he pointed through the darkness to a Firebird. " You got the stuff right, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I got it, Johnny. How's about you hang here while I take care of this?"

"Ray, I've got your back. We do this together, right?"

"Johnny, there are some things that require solitude. Besides, he might get itchy if he sees you. We need this collar."

"Right you are, but I still think this is a dangerous game you're playing here."

"Don't worry about me, John. I will be just fine. Sit tight."

"I'll keep my peepers open."

"Yeah, don't need you to fall into a coma now do we?"

"Cute, Caine. Just hurry up, I got something I want to do."

"Sure you do," Raymond responded with a grin as he got out of the car. John watched as he crossed the street, holding the case in his hands. He could barely make out the other guy, as the angle that he was standing prohibited him from making a positive identification, but if Ray said it was who they were looking for, then he believed him.

He kept his eyes on his partner, watching as he opened the case and pulled a huge white bag out, narrowing his eyes. He didn't remember Ray saying anything about a trade off, and where did he get the drugs? Pulling the binoculars up once more, he steadied his gaze on his partner, watching as he handed off the drugs and took a second case, opening it and pulling out cash. Ray was too enthralled in the cash to see the gun that the man pulled out of his pants and aimed it at him. John tried to get out of the car, trying to maintain eye contact on the scene.

"Shit , shit , shit," he muttered as he pulled himself out of the car. He placed his hand on his side arm and pulled the badge out of his shirt and hung it. Walking quickly, he slipped the gun out and aimed it, yelling, " Miami Dade, P.D.! Drop the gun!"

Raymond finally looked up, seeing the gun , the surprise etched upon his face. A single shot was heard and John picked up his pace as the man took off, Raymond sinking to the ground in a heap. The sound of tires pulling away covered John's screaming as he came up to his partner to see the blood seeping out onto the pavement under him. He bent down and cradled his head in his lap, giving a once over the scene. Scattered about him where drugs and money, and he sat in the middle of a bust gone wrong. Raymond's coughing refocused his attention and he felt his hands grasping at his clothes, his blood getting all over him. John put a hand on his forehead to calm him , seeing the blood pour out of his mouth.

"Dammit, Ray. What have you gotten yourself into?" he asked, tears threatening to fall.

"J-John..."

"Ray! You hold on," John demanded as he gripped his partner's hand. "Don't do this! Ray!"

Silence returned as the grip loosened and his body fell limp. John held him closer as he heard the sounds of approaching sirens. Not thinking, he let go of Raymond and stood as the cars turned the corner. He blacked out for a second, realizing that they weren't even supposed to be there, the thoughts of the ramifications of the actions of tonight playing through his head. He would have a label the rest of his career, if it lasted that long.

"Detective Hagen!"

John looked up at the patrol officer , his gaze devoid of any life and then back to Raymond as he laid on the ground and shook his head.

"I have to make a phone call," John said in response as he began to walk away. It was the one phone call he wished he never had to make.

/CSI/

The door bell rung and Yelina got up quickly from her chair in the living room her fingers still intertwined with his ring. She had been crying since he left, but now the tears had begun to dry, her main focus now on how to persevere through this tribulation. Opening the door, a faint smile appeared and she gestured for him to enter, the dour expression tainting the blue eyes. Her heart fluttered once at the sight of them, focused in a loving gaze, but now, things were different. Now those blues held a different gaze, the love still there, but in a new capacity.

He entered and took a look around content that everything was still in place. She came behind him and watched the man as he dropped his head and sigh heavily. His shoulders were just as burdened by Raymond as hers was.

"How long has he been gone?" Horatio asked, breaking through the silence that seemed to have engulfed the room.

"Almost thirty minutes. Horatio, I don't know what to do, it's like he's disappearing in front of our eyes. He's not the same."

Horatio nodded his head thoughtfully , his stance never changing, " I think I can pull some strings and get some answers, Yelina. Give me ten minutes."

Yelina nodded and walked away, hearing the phone in the kitchen. Just as he was about to dial out of his cell, the instrument came to life and he glared at it, seeing that it was dispatch. Answering it, he walked towards the kitchen, seeing her easy gait, her hair blowing behind her. There was one time in his life that he had loved her, but she had made her choice , and now he was going to have to live with it, even if those feelings still burned like a fire through him.

Coming to the door jamb, he saw the smile as she answered the phone, then the surprise that took over. The ever growing presence of tears was a sign that something was terribly wrong, and Horatio barely listened to the dispatch giving a location to a newly minted scene. Approaching her, he could feel the sorrow as it wafted off of her, the phone dropping out of her hands, her stare blank and glazed over. She began to sink to the floor, but Horatio caught her before she could hurt herself. A faint voice on the other end was calling frantically and Horatio picked it up, placing it on his ear.

"Hello?"

"Horatio?" came the voice, rough with tears on the edge. Regret followed with a deep sigh. "Is Yelina alright?"

"She seems fine, John. What's going on?" A pregnant pause quickened his heart rate and Horatio repeated, " John, what's going on?"

"Horatio,... Ray... he was killed tonight."

Horatio gulped at the words, seemingly choking on them even though they didn't come out of his mouth. He closed his eyes, struggling to keep his mind focused long enough to get what he needed.

"H- How?" Horatio stumbled, opening his eyes once more. The bile rose in his throat as he thought about his failure to protect his brother.

"We were staking out another bust, and it...it just went screwy. There was one assailant and he fled as I came up."

Horatio nodded and then felt Yelina roust herself and sit up. He gazed into her eyes, the sadness that was already there intensifying with every second that passed. Shaking his head, he pulled her closer and felt her sobs as they wracked through her. Finishing his stunted conversation with John, he let the phone drop and wrapped his arms around her, trying to take the pain away. As he predicted, his brother had lost his life to the streets, and they would all in fact pay.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

From the Beginning

Rated T- Language and innuendoes of sex.

Chapter Three

_New Orleans_-2000

She watched him from the corner of her eye as the head of the patrol unit began the daily briefing, a small grin coming about her face. He noticed and grinned himself, leaning closer to her , running his eyes up and down the length of her body. Calleigh felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she detected his cologne, making her sigh with pleasure. Jake Berkeley had been a transplant into the academy, and from the beginning , she could see something she liked about him. Maybe it was the air of confidence that he held, the way he walked , the swagger saying that he owned the world, or maybe it was the sparkle in his brown eyes, a hint of mischievousness that dwelled deep within. Whatever it was, Calleigh Duquense was head over heels for him. The problem was, she didn't know how he felt about her. Sure, they fooled around, but she couldn't read him in the area where matters of the heart were concerned. For the moment, she had been content on their dual roles in this play, but now, out of the academy, she was seeking something more productive.

"You know, you forgot to get your earrings this morning," he whispered as the Sergeant continued with his briefing. Calleigh turned slightly to see the sly grin plastered on his face, "You can come by tonight to get them."

"Well," Calleigh drawled as she glanced towards the Sergeant, who in turned eyed them, "we can discuss this later, Jake, okay?"

"I think we are going to do more than just discuss," he responded, his words laced with the lust that fueled their relationship so well. Calleigh felt the heat rise in her collar this time and giggled slightly.

"I'm sure you have a way of making that a reality, but we have to pay attention now, Jake," she replied through a grin.

"Alright, but," Jake started as he leaned in further, whispering in her ear. Calleigh snickered loudly, the entire squad room shifting their focus to them.

"Ah, Officer Duquense, Officer Berkeley, you have something to add?" the Sergeant asked, directing a stern gaze towards them.

"Um, no," Jake responded , shooting a look to Calleigh, noticing as she turned beet red. "No, I think everything's under control."

The Sergeant shook his head and returned back to the board, continuing with his briefing. Calleigh reached out and slapped his arm, giving him a megawatt smile as he leaned back , partially returning his attention towards the front. Tonight was just too far away, as far as Calleigh was concerned.

/CSI/

She moaned as his hands traveled across her body, touching all the right places, melting her stress away. After a long day walking the streets of New Orleans, and then dealing with studying for her firearms proficiencies, Calleigh was sure that there was nothing left to do but fall into bed and sleep her concerns away. And she thought that was what she was going to do until she saw his vintage Shelby GT in her driveway. She wasn't quite prepared for the scene that she walked into; dinner waiting for her, candles lit in just about every corner. If she hadn't been dead on her feet, she would've wondered instantly what was going on. For the moment, she was content to let this play out. Now, in the confines of her room and him affording her the pleasure of his touch, her mind wandered slightly, realizing that he had never done anything like that before.

_Great time to think about that , Cal, _she chastised herself as he kissed her softly on her neck. A broad smile inched across her face as he moved lower, leaving a trail of fire where his lips had been. Being the center of Jake Berkeley's attention was a great place to be, but for the life of her, the nagging sensation that something was going on wouldn't let up, and she sighed heavily, prompting him to raise his head.

"Something the matter?" he inquired, an eye brow lifted, poised above her.

"Yes... I mean, no..." she stumbled as a frustrated sigh escaped. Jake removed himself from above her and came to rest beside her, propping his head on his hand, while his free hand caressed her stomach. His touch was doing nothing for her concentration, and she shifted slightly to face him head on. Green eyes met brown, and the fire still smoldered between them, but before Calleigh could let him continue , she had to know the truth. " As much as I have loved everything about this evening,...Jake, is there something going on?"

"Whatever do you mean, Miss Duquense?" he asked playfully as he lightly ran his fingers in circles on her stomach.

Calleigh frowned somewhat and sat up, propping herself on her hand, the seriousness coming to the surface, " Jake, I'm serious. In all the time we've been together, not once have you done this."

"Done what, please you?" Jake asked, narrowing his eyesight on her, "is that a crime?"

"No, far from it, but there's a motive behind this. You are butterin' me up for the kill. What's going on?"

"I can't believe that you think there's something more to this."

"Does this have something to do with the discussion you were having with the head of the undercover unit?"

"Cal, no. This has nothing to do with that. I just wanted to show you a good time after the day you've had."

Calleigh searched his eyes for the truth in his words, finding a hesitant gaze. Shaking her head, she sat up more and pulled the covers around her, the mood broken. Jake sat up as well, the obvious signs of his frustration mounting as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Jake, there's something up, I know it."

He stared at her for a minute before adverting his gaze to the opposite wall, " Okay, so I was talking to the UC division about maybe getting on with them. That is all."

"Jake, I thought you said you were thinking of Homicide? Why the sudden change?"

"What does it matter, Calleigh? It's all the same thing, protect and serve," Jake returned, the irritation riding in his voice.

"It matters a lot, Jake. Going UC means changes in your life. Nothing you had before stays the same. Or, is that the way you want it?" Calleigh asked, her own tone taking an icy turn.

"Cal, I'm not getting into this with you. If I said there's nothing, then there's nothing."

Silence encased the room and Calleigh got up quickly, taking with her the sheets. With every step, anger appeared , and Jake shook his head as he sat there, hearing her slam the door. So what, he was thinking of transferring to UC, that didn't mean that what they had would have to suffer. It was a chance of a lifetime, and he for one, was not going to let it slip.

Getting dressed, he started for the door, pausing at the bathroom door, his knuckle just a step from knocking. He froze for a moment, then turned to walk away, heading for the door. With his keys in hand, he opened the door and closed it softly. Inside the bathroom, Calleigh could hear the engine of his car as it started and closed her eyes against the disappointment rising inside of her. Just like that, Jake Berkeley was gone.

/CSI/

_Miami_

One year. That was all the time that had passed since Horatio had lost his brother. In the year since, he found himself spiraling down a crevice of self guilt and grief. If he had been more attentive to him, possibly listening to him more when it counted, then maybe he would've never made that rash decision to join Narcotics in the first place.

Horatio sighed heavily as he knelt down at the tombstone, seeing his name emblazoned across the granite. The sight of it saddened him, the cold stone being a symbol of the other person whom he fought to save but couldn't. Every since getting the call that night, Horatio had laden himself with the burden of Raymond, his misdeeds, his irrational decisions, and now his widow and son. Along side that came the revelation that his brother may have been a dirty cop and that legacy was not one that would die quietly with time. Even so, Horatio carried that load as well, rationalizing that it was the very least he could do. He had failed his mother, Yelina and Ray jr, himself, but what was more, he had failed Raymond. It was a penance he was sure that would follow him the rest of his days, and he chose to face it head on instead of shrinking away from it.

Horatio gazed out at the ocean in the distance, feeling the soft breeze that blew and then dropped his head. The dark sunglasses that had been perched upon his neck while he visited Raymond were now in his hand and he fumbled with them as he tried to find the words to convey what he was feeling. When his brother was alive, he never had a problem with telling him what he felt, but now, saying anything would just solidify his failure. Standing, he slipped the glasses on his face and adjusted his badge and gun as he placed his hands on his hips, taking a final glance down. Just as with his other visits, this one would be left with words unspoken, regrets realized.

Turning away, he felt the phone vibrate on his side and gracefully filled his hands with it, seeing the dispatch number. Answering it, he quickened his step and got in the departmental Hummer that awaited him on the side of the street. Before turning the ignition, Horatio slipped a glance to the spot where he had been and sighed heavily. Pushing all thoughts away, he focused on his task ahead of him. There would be plenty of time for his sorrow.

/CSI/

"God this is heavy," Tim said as he lifted the case onto the table, taking a breath and a glance at Megan who stood by with a smile on her face. "And you weren't going to help with that were you?"

"You looked as if you had it under control," she quipped as she looked at him. Just as she had told him, when he returned with his honors degree in Biology, she had a position for him, first interning then studying for his proficiencies. When he had walked through the door two weeks ago, she felt a sense of pride flow through her, seeing that his demeanor had changed somewhat. No longer did she see the lost little boy, but a man , who had found himself and a reason to go on.

"Good to know that you had my back, Megan. So, what's in this box anyway?"

"Well, Tim, that's our job to find out. Get your lab coat and a pair of gloves," Megan said as she slipped hers on. She watched him as he walked to the rack where they were hung, grabbing for his. The sight of his initials on the coat caused him to smile briefly before slipping it on and buttoning it, grabbing a pair of gloves as he returned back to her side.

"Alright, now what?"

"Now we get to crack open the cookie jar," Megan responded as she started in on the lock. Tim watched intently, taking in every thing he saw. No longer did he wonder why he had been put here, now he knew what his lot in life was. He had finally found something that he could be proud in saying that he did.

Just as Megan was about to open the case, her phone rang and she stopped, taking a look at Tim before answering it. Saying a few words, she hung up the phone and snapped her gloves off, standing in one fluid motion.

"What's going on?"

"We have a scene. Care to go with?" Megan asked, seeing the enthusiasm working its way to his eyes.

"Is it alright? I mean, I'm not violating any protocols am I?"

"Just don't touch anything, and keep your eyes open, and you should be fine," Megan responded as she walked over to the door, grabbing her kit. Tim followed and hung his lab coat , practically running into Megan. With a smile, she turned to him, " Make sure your id is in plain sight at all times."

Tim nodded as Megan moved, his trot catching up easily to hers. This would be his first scene, and hopefully not the last.

/CSI/

"What a away to go," Jack sighed as he aimed the camera at the body, snapping a photo. He looked up to Horatio who was surveying the scene quietly, as if deep in thought. "Hey, Horatio!"

Horatio snapped his head up and spoke, his voice soft, "He was dumped here."

"And what tells you that? There are no tracks, tire or otherwise to confirm that theory,"Jack responded as he stood up from his crouched position. He straightened his back some, getting the cricks out and walked towards Horatio, seeing the body from another angle.

"Well, the lack of blood, for one," Horatio stated, pointing to the body. " The point of entry is located probably near the femoral artery." He glanced to the ME to get confirmation and proceeded, "and there's different vegetation on the bottom of his shoe."

"Okay, say you're right, say that he was dumped. Why here? It's practically in the middle of a park," Jack asked, hearing the sounds of the children playing nearby. Sometimes, he never understood the people who perpetrated this kind of violence.

"Maybe he was trying to send a message," Horatio returned as the ME handed him an id. He smiled as he turned the id over, showing Jack. " Councilman Richards. Ironic that his platform was to save the city parks."

"And he finds himself dead in one. Sad."

Horatio chuckled as he saw the Hummer pull up and watched as Megan got out, followed by Tim. A smile came about , remembering when Timothy Speedle showed up once more to make good on a promise made by Megan. Horatio instantly took a liking to him, seeing the potential that hovered beneath the surface. He could tell that Tim was no longer at odds with himself, finally finding a strong steady footing. If he could help it, Horatio would do anything to assist Tim in remaining steadfast.

"So , coming on scenes now? You work fast," Horatio quipped as Tim smirked and glanced down at the body. He gazed at it for a second then turned back to Horatio. "It's not bad , once you've seen one, you've seen them all."

"Tell that to the vics,"Jack interjected with a huff. Megan moved away from them, centering on the victim and kneeling down. She pushed her glasses off of her head and peered closer, her brow becoming knit.

"Did the responding officer move the body?"

Jack looked to Horatio who shook his head and came beside her, leaving Tim on the outskirts. He came closer, but not as much to be in the way. He could see faint traces of a set of footprints on the lower side of the body.

"No, not that I am aware of. Why?" Jack asked.

"Because, he doesn't look to be in the resting position. He seems posed," Megan returned, pointing. "You see his arms and his legs? They are contorted in a fixed position."

"Could be rigor mortis settling," Tim piped up from behind them, noticing as they turned to face him. He shrugged his shoulders, " I read, ...a lot."

"Okay, let's add that variable in. Let's say he died in eight hours. With this heat and the fact that it rained out here last night, do we think that he decomposed at a regular rate?" Megan asked as she looked to the body once more.

"Hey, I think I know what happened here," Tim said almost too eagerly. He mentally kicked himself in the rear, knowing that he had to retain some restraint. "Take a look at the foot of the body. There's smudges of footprints leading away from the body. And look at the body itself, his face is contorted. The only thing I know of that does that, is strychnine. Now , why the perp felt the need to shoot is beyond me, but this speaks to a poison."

Megan smiled as she looked harder at the face, seeing , indeed the contorted face. A commotion from outside the crime scene tape drew her attention and she saw a throng of reporters as they clamored noisily. With a slight escape of air from her lungs, she instantly recognized the Mayor of the city and rolled her eyes. Every time he was around, he felt the need to show off in front of a crowd. Especially a crowd that was armed with microphones and cameras. Putting on her game face, she strode to meet him, leaving Tim with Horatio and Jack.

"Mr. Mayor," Megan started as she faced the man. His body overshadowed hers by four feet and was toned and muscular, making the linen suit that he wore all the more appealing. She scowled at the thought of having to make conversation with him, but realized that because she was the supervisor of the crime lab, she would have to play this game. "What brings you down?"

He glanced over to the cordoned area and then back to Megan, plastering a huge smile on his face as he turned slightly to face the press, "When a prominent citizen of Miami is cut down in the prime of his life, I make an effort to assure that the culprit is found."

Inside, Megan cringed as she smiled harder, it stretching her face to the limits. She only hoped that he wouldn't want to get closer to the body and risk contaminating the evidence. Just as she suspected, he dropped her hand and moved closer to the crime scene tape, readying himself to go under. Horatio stepped before him, prohibiting him from entering, his stare meaning business.

"Ah, Detective,..."

"I apologize, sir, but you can't enter the crime scene," Horatio said as he stood his ground, placing his hands on his hips. Megan watched on in horror as the standoff began to roust the media.

"I want to see Mr. Richards," the Mayor continued, trying to move past him. Horatio stood stock still, much to the Mayor's chagrin.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to pass. This is an active crime scene, one containing the very evidence we could possibly use to find whoever did this. So you see, it's virtually impossible to see Mr. Richards at this time. Maybe, after we are done, you can see him at the morgue."

The Mayor seethed as he stood, his smile dwindling some. Shaking it off, he laughed as he placed a hand on Horatio's shoulder, patting it roughly, " The detective has a point. He has a point. So, when do you think ..."

"It's unknown," Horatio responded dryly, catching the glare that Megan was sending him. "The sooner you can let us do our job, the sooner you will know. Now if you will, excuse me, sir. I have a scene to get back to."

Jack smiled heavily as Horatio approached, leaving in his wake a very upset mayor, "Oh, man, you really stepped in it now. You have any idea what you've just done?"

Horatio sighed as he walked under the tape, his gaze connecting with Tim's. He knew he over stepped his boundaries, but he couldn't risk the crime scene all for a photo op. Tim watched as the red head moved methodically over the body, kneeling down reverently. He could see that the detective held a certain respect for what he did. That respect in turn was what Tim had for Horatio, both in maintaining the dignity of the crime scene and his personal integrity.

After the Mayor had departed, Megan approached the three of them, her anger filled gaze centering on Horatio, " Can I have a word with you, Horatio?"

Silently, he stood, and walked under the tape, following Megan. Tim turned to Jack as he shook his head, returning to his task of photographing the scene.

"Hey, Jack, what's going on with those two?"

"I think H is going to get an earful. Megan's not too keen on ruffling feathers of the big wigs, and Horatio doesn't give a shit. If they are messing with his crime scene, he really gets in their face."

"I see," Tim responded thoughtfully, watching them discussed, very heatedly the events of a moment ago. "So, what's going to happen to him?"

"She'll probably suspend him, or worst..."

"Worst?" Tim asked, lifting a brow.

"Yeah, deposit on the swing shift with Stetler. You haven't met Stettie yet have ya?"

"No, should I have?" Tim asked, continuing to watch them. Horatio had taken to dropping his gaze as Megan continued to read him the riot act.

"Consider yourself lucky, son. That Stetler is a real son of a bitch."

"Wow, thanks for letting me know," Tim answered with a short laugh. He apparently didn't want to cross paths with this Stetler guy, and now , he saw the price of the integrity as Horatio turned to leave, not bothering to look back. He would surely see the red head again.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

From the Beginning

A/N: A big thanks goes out to **Sincerly In Denial** for providing me with some insight! Thanks!

Chapter Four

Eric sat in the atrium of the police department, nervously tapping his hand on the arm of the chair. Since graduation, he had been on the fence about what to do; his swimming career was out the door, and he couldn't spend the rest of his life teaching swim classes to the little toddlers, not when he had a perfectly good Chemistry degree under his belt. By some inch of good luck he had heard about openings at the Miami Dade Crime Lab. Eric really didn't see himself as much of a cop, but the work that was done in the labs was what interests him. He would , and had done everything that he could to be considered, just graduating from the academy months before, then hitting the convention circuit in forensic techniques. He now sat there, ready and willing to become a member of the CSI team that he had heard about so many times before.

He glanced at his watch then to the elevator, seeing him emerge. Eric had met Horatio when there was a bomb scare at the university some years ago, and instantly, he had liked the red head. Where people saw a pompous attitude, Eric saw the passion and determination. They had worked to get people evacuated from the building, and Eric had noticed something different about a door, alerting Horatio . Horatio kindly thanked Eric and sent him out with the others, thinking of how astute Eric had been to notice something as minute as the trip wire. Off and on they kept in touch, and Horatio had even been forthcoming about him joining the CSI unit, but at the time , Eric had wanted to keep his options open. As he stood to meet Horatio, he was glad that he had finally found a clue and put in for the positions.

"So, you came. Good man," Horatio said as he extended his hand. Eric took it and shook it, smiling widely.

"Yeah, I finally got it through my thick skull that this was something to look into. I'm supposed to meet a Megan Donner."

"She should be back in minute," Horatio responded a small smile forming. Since being put on swing shift, he really didn't have much interaction with Megan. "I'm actually on my way out."

"Out? Off today?" Eric asked with a chuckle.

"Well, let's just say, there was a change needed," Horatio replied with a sigh. Looking up, he saw Megan as she stopped to talk to the desk sergeant and then gesture towards them both. Before she could make her way over, Horatio started to walk, glancing back, " I'll be seeing you, Eric. And good luck."

Eric nodded and watched as he left through a side door. Megan came in front of him, a pleasant smile affixed to her face.

"Megan Donner," she introduced herself , extending her hand.

Eric took it and smiled heavily, his heart beating extremely fast, "Eric Delko."

"Okay, Eric, let's get started. Follow me."

Eric walked behind her, glancing around the atrium . It was his hope that he would be walking these halls soon.

/CSI/

He sat at the desk, immersed in the forensics journal, tapping his pen furiously. Tim's plan was to make it to CSI level One by the end of the year, but first, he had to conquer his proficiencies allowing him to actually work a scene. He was somewhat confident that he could do it with ease, and he figured there was no harm in doing some extra studying. Looking up at the pictures that were scattered on the desk, he saw the happiness that the couple exuded, one he thought he would never be able to experience. By nature, Tim was a lone wolf, someone who didn't require much attention, but as with anyone, happiness was something he longed to have.

Putting the pen down, he yawned and stretched, swiveling the chair around to face the trace lab, watching the tech as he performed a test in the Mass Spec. With a small smile, he envisioned himself behind the scopes, putting the pieces together, solving crimes and helping others. Chuckling he leaned in some more, continuing to watch as the tech went about his business, writing his findings.

"Soon enough," he said in a whisper.

"For what?" a voice asked. Tim turned quickly to see Sean as he stood at the door frame, a wide smirk on his face. "Taking a break?"

"Yeah," Tim responded sheepishly, " Megan said that I could use her office to study for my proficiencies. That's not a problem , is it?"

"Nah, I was just looking for her to get some info on a case," Sean said as he entered the office. "So, proficiencies? That means you are going out in the field soon?"

"I hope so. I mean, there's nothing wrong with interning, but I just want to get to work."

"Pretty boring here, right?"

"Basically," Tim snickered as he turned back to the window, his thoughts getting lost once more. "Megan says that she thinks I'm going to do well."

"And you don't?"

"Let's just say, I'm not overly confident at the moment," Tim replied with a sigh.

Sean stopped at the desk, his eyes lighting on the picture of him and Megan. He had known from first hand experience how life could deal a crummy hand, but he also learned how to work from it. Coming from a background of a broken home and no hope was hard enough, but Sean had made the best of it, picked himself up out of the ashes of a disappointing childhood and made a way. He had seen some of the long forgotten traits in Tim, but since his return to Miami, those traits seemed to have disappeared. Direction was what he needed, and now that he had it, Sean could bet anything that Tim would be the best at what he did. He only needed to slay the enemy, which was himself.

"Speed, you know you can do this, probably with your hands tied behind your back. Your problem is you short circuit yourself. Don't over think it. Just do it."

"Just do it, eh?" Tim asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't go there," Sean remarked, glancing at his watch. He looked back up to see the gratitude on Tim's face and nodded. " You can do this, Speed."

Tim nodded silently and refocused his attention back to the window as Sean turned to walk out, stopping to turn half way, " If you see Meg around, tell her to give me a call. I'll be at the PD."

"Sure, and Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again."

"No problem."

The door closed and Tim returned back to the journal, a wide smile forming. _Tied behind my back_, he thought as he began drumming the pen again. Sean definitely had more confidence in him at the moment, but he was determined not to let him down. Not by a long shot.

/CSI/

The rain poured as Rick Stetler approached the door, struggling to hold on to the box of evidence. He grumbled as he thought about his partner, who seemed to be in the wind instead of helping him. Pulling at the door, he felt the box begin to slip, thinking that he was going to lose all the evidence and be put behind all because of a red head who thought he was too important to do even a slither of work.

"Never around to do the grunt work," Stetler muttered as he shoved the box further into his arms. The door opened suddenly in front of him and he looked up to see him, reaching a hand out to help.

"Need some help there , Rick?"

Stetler seethed as he released a heavy breath, holding the door with his knee, " I got it, Horatio. But it would've been a huge help if you were at the truck to help."

"I just got in, Rick. Now, are you going to stand there , or are you going to give me the box?" Horatio asked, his voice tinged in sarcastic tones.

Shoving the box into Horatio's hand, he stood up straight and entered the building ,shaking the rain off of him. Horatio held the box out and Stetler snatched it out of his hands and began to walk away, mumbling.

"You're welcome," Horatio said simply as he shook his head. He fell into step behind Stetler and caught the elevator. The silence in the small compartment was palpable as Horatio watched the floors tick off. He knew of Stetler's irate demeanor towards him but couldn't fathom why. Horatio had just joined the swing shift only three months prior, and he didn't recall if he had done something personally to the man. Shrugging, he glanced over at a dripping Stetler and sighed lightly, "So, is that the evidence from the scene?"

"You mean the scene that we were supposed to have processed together? That scene?"

"I had an errand to do," Horatio responded, turning to face the dark haired man, who met his stare.

"An errand. And working is not important enough?"

"This was for work. Sonny asked me to go over some old case files, I didn't know it was going to take half the night."

"This is a hundred percent bullshit, Horatio. You just join the swing shift, and automatically, you become this big man on campus? Meanwhile, I've been here for almost three years, and still doing runt work."

" Your problems with the job are none of my business, Rick."

"I don't know what favor you pulled, but this seems par for the norm for you."

"Rick,..." Horatio started before the door slid open , revealing the second floor of the lab. He side stepped to let Stetler by, gaining a growl for his trouble. Ignoring that, he opened the door to the layout room and watched as Stetler placed the box down, huffing slightly. He glared at Horatio as he stood with his hands on his hips and then pointed to him, as Horatio got his lab coat and slip it on.

"There's a lieutenant spot on the promotion grid, and I intend on getting that. I don't need you around to screw that up for me."

"I have no desire to do so, Rick. Now, what do you have?"

Stetler glared at him and then gestured half heartedly to the evidence box and Horatio slipped on a pair of gloves, opening the box. As they worked, Stetler snickered some, then shook his head. Finally , he had enough, and he stopped what he was doing to turn completely towards him.

"You know, I just figured it out."

"Alright, I'll play this game," Horatio said placing the tools down. "What did you figure out?"

"You are running."

"Running?" Horatio asked, arching an eyebrow. He grinned slightly as he tilted his head some, "I've got to say, Rick, that's a good one, even coming from you."

"You are running from the truth. Your brother was dirty, and so you figure you can get your hands on the incriminating evidence, and say, dispose of it."

"That," Horatio responded, his tone growing dark at the mention of his brother, "is none of your business."

"It just seems fishy, you're never around to do your job, but you are constantly in the evidence locker," Stetler postulated. Horatio tightened his stance, the air becoming clouded with intensity. The two men held each other's glares the slight twinge of a smirk rising on Stetler's face. He had broken through the strong wall of Horatio's resolve, finding his pressure point.

Deciding to take the high road, Horatio answered, " You know, you are in the wrong field."

"What?"

"You should be in Internal Affairs, it suits you better," Horatio said as he turned away. The anger percolated at the surface, as he pushed through the door, trying to hold on to the last sliver of decency. Stetler had pushed his buttons for sure, but he wasn't going to let him push him over the edge.

/CSI/

The door opened and Megan sat up on the couch , wiping her eyes. She had made it home two hours earlier by the grace of God, being that the majority of her day had been consumed by a case in the Everglades, but as exhausted as she was, she still stayed up to wait for him. There was never a day that had went by that she never saw him during the course, but today was one of those rare occasions that they seemed to just miss each other. Days like that were murder on her, no matter what was going on with them, they always made time for each other. It was what made them click so well, and missing that, was like missing a part of her heart. He walked into the living room, an exhausted smile fading quickly as he sighed heavily. Megan frowned and got up, approaching him with caution. A bad day for a cop could present another problem altogether.

"Sean?"

"It's nothing, Meg," he replied shaking his head. He peeled his jacket off and tossed it on the chair. Megan smirked at the motion; any other time, she would've chastised him for leaving his coat around, but she knew that at the moment, he mattered more.

"It's something , Sean. What happened?"

Sean walked past her, taking a seat on the couch. He didn't afford himself the pleasure of relaxing, instead, placing his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands over his face. Whatever was bothering him, it was deep. Megan grabbed his hand while sitting, looking into his drawn expression. Years seemed to have been etched upon him, another heavy sigh escaping roughly.

"Hagen was transferred to Homicide today," Sean began, finally letting himself sit back. Megan repositioned herself beside him, running her hands through his sandy blond hair and he closed his eyes, letting the soft touches of his wife whittle away at the tension. "And word is that he is going to be partnered up with me."

"Sean, I don't see where this is a problem. It's just John."

"He was Ray Caine's partner. He was there when Ray was killed, and then there's this mess about Ray possibly being dirty. Do you think that John wouldn't have been apart of that?"

"I don't know, Sean," Megan returned, her thoughts instantly going to Horatio. Since his brother's death, she saw the change in the usually tight knit Detective, his actions two months ago being evidence of that. Her heart went out to him, but he had to learn how to separate the job from personal. She pulled herself out of her thoughts to finish, " What I do know, is that you have to make the best of this. John could turn out to be harmless."

"Yeah," Sean breathed out, " you could be right. Maybe I'm jumping the gun here."

"And besides, what would they do with Tripp? You guys have been partners since the beginning of time," Megan quipped as she smiled harder, seeing the relaxation finally settling over her husband.

"Cute," Sean replied as he opened one eye. He then turned his head, opening his eyes completely. " I talked to Speed today."

"Yeah, he told me," Megan retorted, lying back, putting her head against his shoulder. " He seemed to think that he won't pass the proficiencies."

"That kid,... He's a genius and deep down he knows this. You want to know what I think?"

"Of course."

"He's scared. Afraid that if he doesn't do well, he'll be disappointing everyone. I told him not to over think it."

"He said that you became a Nike commercial," Megan teased, the thought of the conversation with Tim running through her mind. She had reaffirmed what Sean had told him before. " I told him to do his best, and not to sweat the small stuff."

"Do you think he heard you?" Sean asked, gently caressing her cheek.

"His first proficiency is in a week. I'll let you know then," Megan returned, leaning into his touch. "Okay, no more talk of work, it's just us now."

"I kinda like the sound of that," Sean responded, taking her into a kiss. All thoughts of the previous day were abandoned as they focused on each other. That's all they had, and needed.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

From the Beginning

Chapter Five

Tim entered the trace lab, a full fledged smile on his face. The day before, he had accomplished what he set out to do, made it to CSI level One. The pride wore itself easily on his shoulders as he entered the lab, his gait almost a swagger as he walked towards the bank of elevators. What some could do in two years, he had done in one, and there was only one person he could thank solely for that, and judging by her car missing from the parking space, she hadn't made it to work yet. He could honestly say that Megan was a high determining factor in his success, providing the much needed inspiration to do it. Yes, he had satellite support in Jack and Sean, but Megan was the one who stood right beside him, especially when he returned to make good on her promise. In truth, all the people he had met in Miami had become his surrogate family, looking out for his best interest. His feet were now firmly planted, and for that, he could not thank them enough.

Jack glanced up at him, seeing the newly minted badge that was clipped on his shirt and smiled graciously. For all intended purposes, when Tim just appeared on his doorstep that day almost two years ago, he figured that he would be just passing through on his road to self destruction, but Tim surprised him. Little did he know, the shepherding of Tim to the Crime Lab turned his life into a new direction, and he began to thrive once more. It prided Jack enormously that he had a hand in saving Tim from himself. It was almost like watching his son graduate again.

"So, CSI level One Tim Speedle, how does it feel?"

"Pretty good actually," Tim responded with tiny smirk. He glanced at the samples yet to be prepared as he took off his jacket and slipped his lab coat on, pulling out a pair of gloves from the box on the table. His movements spoke to the ease at which he felt, no longer was he hesitant in his actions, now, he felt confident. "So, what do you have going on here?"

"Well, I have some samples that just came in off a vic thirty minutes ago. But you, my boy, you get a treat."

"A treat?" Tim asked, arching his eyebrow. For so long he watched others as they did their jobs, his wonderment never ceasing, now he was apart of that. " For me? You shouldn't have."

"Very funny, smart guy. But really, you get to cut your teeth on the case. The vic is in the morgue with Marcus. You should head down there," Jack responded, a grin inching across his face. "You know, gather more evidence."

Tim nodded as he peeled off the gloves and started for the door. Horatio stood aside to let the new Level One through, throwing a genuine smile to him.

"In a hurry?"

"Gotta go to the morgue," Tim replied as he walked off quickly. Horatio watched him get onto the elevator and chuckled, turning his attention back into the trace lab. He was just finishing on some paperwork and just dropped in on Jack.

"This wouldn't be the head wound that came in this morning would it?"

Jack turned back to his work, his response being a short laugh as he shook his head, " I had to keep the tradition going, H. If I don't who will?"

"Poor guy," Horatio answered with laugh of his own. "So, any news on the new CSI?"

"You mean the one that just walked out of here?"

"No, Eric Delko. I heard that he got the position in fingerprinting."

"Delko,...doesn't sound familiar to me," Jack replied, thinking hard. "Oh, wait! Delko, yeah, he's working underwater recovery. Word is that he can swim."

"Yeah," Horatio hummed absently.

"H?"

"Oh, yeah, well, have a good day, Jack."

Jack nodded as Horatio exited the door, returning back to his work, "Weird." What he couldn't wait for was when Speedle returned from the morgue. He was sure to get a kick out of that.

/CSI/

The morgue doors opened and Marcus Rathbone glanced up from his work to see Tim strode through. The medical examiner smiled through his wire rimmed glasses that were perched precariously atop his nose as he glanced down at the body, his hands throughly engrossed in removing the heart. Tim stepped up to the slab and slid the gloves on silently, taking a look at the body, then at the pot simmering behind Marcus. He cocked his head and furrowed his brow, wondering just why there was a pot in the morgue.

"So, made it to Level One, congratulations," Marcus stated knowingly. "Now the fun begins."

Tim shook his head and peered at the body, "And this is?"

"Hugh Morton, librarian, probably pays his taxes on time, and from the looks of his wardrobe, he was super anal retentive," Marcus replied while continuing to work. "Meanwhile, he walks out his door one day, and BAM! Blunt force trauma. Suffice to say, he won't be going through the Dewey Decimal system any more." Tim stared at him , transfixed at his random rambling and Marcus did a double take, realizing that he didn't get the joke, "Oh, sorry. You newbies never get the joke on the first time out."

"I got the joke, Marcus, " Tim responded flatly with a sigh. He glanced at his watch and then back to the body. "So, where's the head?"

"Being processed," Marcus returned with a shrug. He pulled his hands out of the chest cavity and placed his tools down, snatching off the gloves. He picked up a towel and walked to where the pot was simmering, with Tim following, and picked up what seemed to him to be a huge spoon. "And it looks just about ready."

Tim glanced into the pot, his stomach heaving. He turned away and felt the bile rise in his throat, looking in every direction for a place to empty his stomach. Marcus looked back at him and quickly put the instrument down and put a hand on his back.

"It's back there!" Marcus pointed laughing in spurts. The tradition, it seemed was being kept alive, despite his impending retirement. At least he could go out on a good note. Tim rushed to the door and pushed through it, the sounds of his weakened stomach reacting to the sight being heard through out the silent morgue. Marcus laughed harder as he turned back to the pot, calling out, "CLEAN UP WHAT YOU MESS UP!"

/CSI/

Alexx sat at her desk, pouring over the case files that were stacked in front of her. Despite just finishing with her last post, she found that she was unable to leave just yet. A slight blurb had crossed her path, and she was taking it upon herself to take a further look into it, realizing as she progressed, she was finding more and more evidence of what had landed her here in the first place. Deciding that she wasn't going to be black balled once more, she continued on her search every day through out the months , finding case after case with the same results- the Chief Medical Examiner was covering shoddy work. She was surprised that she was the only one to catch on that something was out of place on the files, but then again, she was the only one who caught the error that the surgeon made previously. The difference this time, however, was that she wasn't going to keep her mouth shut. This time, she would stand behind her findings. In doing so, she knew the risks; she could lose her job in an act of retribution to her little investigation by the Chief ME. To counter act that, she had already begun to look for prospects elsewhere, having the creditentials to get on anywhere with no problem. The problem was finding the right place.

An alert popped on her screen and she turned completely to the computer. A smile rose on her face as she opened the program seeing a reply to an inquiry that she had seen in a posting in Miami. Reading the message, the smile grew as she fumbled for the phone. Dialing furiously, she kept her eyes on the screen and waited to hear his voice.

"Alexx," William Woods said groggily, " this better be important."

"Will, it is," Alexx exclaimed giddily. I got the job in Miami!"

"Outstanding," Will responded dryly, trying to stave a yawn. " Can we talk about this when the sun comes up?"

"Will," Alexx started in a warning tone but then glanced at the clock. She pulled back and answered , "Oh, alright, we can talk later."

"Good. Don't stay too late, Alexx. Come home at a decent hour."

Alexx chuckled at his humor and smiled harder, "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too, honey. And Alexx?"

"Hmhmm?"

"Congratulations."

"Thank you , Will," Alexx sighed happily. " Good night."

William returned the endearment and Alexx hung up the phone, making a triumphant gesture. Barely containing her glee, she finished on the last file and opened her word processor. The time for change had come.

TBC...

A/N: Sorry so short...


	6. Chapter 6

From the Beginning

Chapter Six

Horatio walked through the doors of the New Orleans Crime Lab, his intent on seeking the one familiar face from years ago. He had been sent on a recruiting assignment to find a replacement firearms expert by the Chief, much to the chagrin of Stetler. Despite the contention that Horatio was trying to snatch the Lieutenant position from him, Horatio could never get it through to Stetler that he had no desire to do such. All he was doing was what was asked of him.

Coming to the desk sergeant, he adjusted his badge and gun, and smiled lightly. Clearing his throat, he started to say something before a voice broke through behind him. The smile grew as he shook his head lightly, casting his sights downward. He could recognize the slight Cajun accent anywhere.

"Red, I wasn't expecting you until two."

Horatio turned, his expression growing more as he extended his right hand, "Matt, how are you?"

"Doin' great, H," Matt returned as he pumped his hand graciously, "hot as sin down here. Never thought I would see it so blazin' hot."

Horatio chuckled lightly as they released hands, and he took a glance around, "So, how's the Big Easy treating you?"

"A helluva lot better than the Big Apple. Bad deal they gave me there, both you and me to tell ya the truth," Matt scowled before shaking his head and waving his hand dismissively, "But, that's not why you're here. You're here to see my gal."

"Ah , yeah, um a Calleigh Duquense?" Horatio asked, remembering the name from his previous phone call.

"You know, you are the first to actually pronounce her name correctly," Matt snickered as he wiped his face gratuitously with his handkerchief. "Well, enough about that, let's get to the firearms lab. Maybe it could be just a tad bit cooler there."

Matt started walking towards the elevators before he was stopped by a voice calling to him, "Lieutenant Bouderaux!"

Both men turned to see a petite blond, her green eyes sparkling with the bright smile that shone tremendously. In her right hand she carried a case, similar to the one that they carried in Miami, in the other, she held her badge. She walked towards them with a sort of gracefulness that a dancer could possess, and both men found themselves slightly transfixed by the woman.

"I tell you, Matt, I've never had such a hard time trying to find gun lubricant," she exasperated, her accent thick. She barely acknowledged the man standing beside her LT, continuing on, " that man- ooh, if I could string him up , I would."Horatio chuckled loudly, garnering her attention and she turned to the red haired Detective, a quick smile coming over her, "Who's your handsome friend?"

Matt smiled as he gestured to Horatio, " Calleigh, meet CSI Level three Horatio Caine, Miami Dade Crime Lab."

Calleigh turned towards Horatio fully, tipping her head slightly, " Mr. Caine, nice to meet you. I trust Lieutenant Boudreaux hasn't been fillin' your head with flights of fancy about me. You haven't , have you Matt?"

"Oh, no, Calleigh. You are some thing that has to be seen first hand," Matt answered as he winked at her. "I was about to take him down to fire arms to meet you."

"Oh?" Calleigh asked, arching an eyebrow. "Well, I just got in, if you don't mind the mess down there, you are welcome to come on."Horatio continued to smile, hers being infectious. The trio began to walk towards the elevators and Calleigh continued, " So, if you don't mind me asking, Mr. Caine-..."

"It's Horatio," Horatio piped up softly.

"Horatio," Calleigh repeated just as softly as the doors slid open. Both men made way for her and she entered, facing them both. Matt pressed the button and the doors slid shut. Calleigh set her case down and sighed heavily, " So, as I was saying, why did you want to meet me?"

"There is a position open in Miami, firearms lab, first shift, and I was told that you were the person to come and see."

Calleigh swatted Matt on the arm, " I can't believe you, Matt!"

"What? What did I do?"

"You should tell me when you put my name out there," Calleigh chided lightly, the smile still affixed on her face.

"I only told them the truth, Calleigh. You're one of the best, if not the best, firearms investigators out there."

"Well," she replied coyly, " when he's right, he's right."

"I thought so," Matt responded in a huff. "Did you know that Calleigh here graduated from Tulane, at the top of her class, no doubt. And she took home a nice degree in Physics, promptly joined the police academy, and now she stands, bonafide firearms expert extra ordinaire."

"You really know how to lay it on thick, Matthew Boudreaux," Calleigh answered as she turned a light shade of red. The elevator alerted to their arrival to the firearms lab, and Calleigh exited first, pushing through the glass doors of her lab. Placing her kit on the table, she spun around quickly, gesturing to the guns on the table, " You have to excuse the mess - clean up day in the gun vault."

Horatio watched her walk through the lab, slipping her lab coat on with ease. She passed through , mentally ticking off what was left to do. He could instantly see that she was thorough and efficient, two very redeeming qualities that he felt would mix well with the group back home.

"No worries," Horatio returned. "So, Miss Duquense..."

"Ah, Calleigh," she countered sweetly, her blond hair swaying as she moved about the lab. "Or Cal. Miss Duquense was my Grandmother's name, God rest her."

"Okay, Calleigh, so tell me, are you interested in the position?"

Calleigh stopped in her tracks , her hand in mid air at the thought of what this would signify. She loved New Orleans, to her , there was no place like it on earth. But the memories that were held within the bright lights and crowds was almost too much to bear. Constant nights of wondering why things couldn't stay the same haunted her, and she found herself more often than not, wishing that he was still tightly wrapped in her arms. That wasn't the reality that she was living any more and she had started feeling the need to escape what was so familiar to her.

As she turned to face them, a smile inched across her face, her decision made, " Where do I sign?"

/CSI/

"You can't still be mad at me, Speed," Jack said as he bent to pick up a hair, gazing at it. "This has a tag on it."

Tim stepped up, kneeling down, peering at the extracted hair and handed him an evidence envelope, " That could be from the boyfriend. And yes, I'm still pissed."

"Why? It was harmless," Jack answered , slipping the hair in the envelope and closing it. Writing his name, he smirked, " Be honest, Tim, it was funny."

"Yeah, like for two seconds," Tim responded. "It's cute how you find me puking my guts out funny, though."

"Oh get over it, Speedle. I had it done to me, you'll probably do it to some poor pissant newbie."

"Gentlemen, can we stay the course?" she asked as she stood above them. Megan pushed the glasses further up her nose as the sweat poured, the stiff wind providing no relief. They had been on the scene for almost an hour, scouring it for any evidence leading to the perpetrator who was believed to be the victim's boyfriend. She turned to see the replacement ME as she bent over the victim, her gloved hands caressing the face softly. It had been hard to see Marcus retire, but she figured that it was time . He had been there for a long time, and seen many gruesome deaths.

"Is she talking to that dead body?" Tim asked, glancing over to the body, his eyes narrowing in on the scene.

"That's a new one," Jack followed up with a grin. " Job drove her crazy before she could even start."

"Guys,..."

"Right, Megan. So, has anyone found the boyfriend?" Tim asked, keeping his eyes on the ME.

"Homicide is checking with everyone on the block," Megan responded as the ME rose and started for them. Her long brown hair had been held in place by a simple head band, her dark brown eyes covered with a pair of black sunglasses that provided ample coverage. She came to the group, a smile already affixed on her face.

"I'm Alexx Woods, Medical Examiner," she said as she extended her hand out. They all took turns shaking her hand and she then gestured towards the body. "She's all yours. Found some scarring on her neck, looked like ligature marks. I'll know more once I get her back to the morgue. Poor baby , died way too soon."

They stood silently , their eyes concentrated on the woman as she turned back to them. Tim stepped up and nodded towards the body, "So, the boyfriend strangled her with something?"

"Possibly," she returned with a shrug and a smile, looking directly at him. "I would be looking for a thick rope, probably used in boating perhaps. Just a suggestion."

Megan nodded as the sounds of a commotion sprung up, seeing several officers running in the direction of the hotel that stood on the corner. Everyone's eyes were adverted to the top of the hotel, seeing two figures struggling on the veranda. Megan walked quickly, her heart beating fast as she recognized her husband, trying vainly to over power him. She broke out into a trot, with Tim and Jack following, reaching full speed as the sounds of the rickety railing were heard splintering.

"WATCH OUT!" someone shouted as the railing began to groan once more, threatening to spill them over.

"SEAN!" Megan cried , coming to a stop, her chest burning. She looked up to see, but couldn't. The railing finally gave way and she watched as the assailant pushed at Sean, sending him over the edge. Her heart stopped and she turned away, not wanting to see what she had heard, the sounds of bodies hitting the ground, with the railing crashing around them. "Oh GOD...NO!"

Megan's feet began to move, but was held back by Tim who had grasped her around the waist, holding her back. She fought with him as the police flooded the area, their guns raised. Tim could feel her strength leaving her and soon her movements became smaller as she dwindled into tears, holding on to him. Tim turned her away from the scene as one of the first responders gestured a negative. He held her tighter, feeling his own despair growing as she wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing.

Jack and Tripp stood silently as the gurney was pulled in, then reappeared with the sheet over it. The slight sliver of Sean's badge hung out of the sheet, and Tripp turned away, his sights landing on Megan as she stood with Tim. An unsurmountable tragedy had befallen them all, in one fail swoop.

TBC...

A/N: Again, this is short, but it will get better, I promise!


	7. Chapter 7

From the Beginning

Chapter 7

Horatio gazed out of the window, his thoughts lost amongst the clouds. The trip to New Orleans had provided him with the respite he needed, leaving all of his burdens in Miami. Being away from it all had given Horatio the time to think clearly for the first time in a long time, his shoulders didn't ache from the weight he had carried since losing his brother. But as the plane traveled back to the blue skies of his beloved city, he could feel the guilt and despair creeping back upon him. Sighing heavily, he sat back and closed his eyes. For the moment, he had peace and he wanted to savor it as much as possible.

The vibrations on his side prompted his eyes to open again and he groaned as he reached for it, flipping it up quickly. He wasn't quite ready to face what still awaited him when he got back. Putting the phone to his ear, he heard the sounds of sirens first , then his voice, it being uncharacteristically quiet. Horatio narrowed his brow in confusion, speaking in a tone slightly above a whisper, which was a little louder than he had intended.

"Jack?"

"Horatio, you .. I... if ...important," Jack said, the connection fading.

Horatio strained to hear, the commotion in the back ground coupled with the fading connection making it hard to decipher, "Jack, what's going on?"

"It's bad, H... dead."

"What? Jack?" Horatio asked as the call dropped. Quickly, he flipped the phone down and reached for the airplane phone. It was only a couple of seconds before he was connected again and instantly he heard the sirens clearly. Something had happened. "Jack, what's going on?"

"Horatio," Jack started with a pause, taking a breath. "There's been an accident. Sean's dead."

Horatio inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly, "Sean's... Sean's dead?"

"Yeah, he was pursuing a person of interest and they fell," Jack exclaimed, his voice hitching slightly, "Megan's not doing too good."

Horatio glanced at his watch, his thoughts going rapidly, " I should be back in Miami within an hour. Where is Megan?"

"I don't know , Horatio. Look, I'm being pulled into something."

"I'll call you when I land," Horatio responded as he sighed heavily.

"Alright," was Jack's simple return before hanging up. Horatio replaced the headset on the cradle and sat back, his mind reeling. His first concern was Megan, knowing how much grief could affect a person. He knew instantly that things would never be the same.

/CSI/

Megan walked slowly to the double doors of the morgue, a cold feeling racing up her spine. She had been almost unconsolable when they had taken Sean away that she thought she'd never move from that spot, her feet cemented to the ground. Tim and Tripp had told her that they would take her home, but she flatly refused, rationalizing that she had nothing to go home to. With her determination in place, Megan quickly told them that she wasn't going anywhere ; the perp had managed to survive the fall and she was hell bent on working the case against him. Before she got started however, she had to go see Sean one last time.

Pushing through the doors, she saw Alexx as she completed the last stitch, whispering in low tones. Megan watched the ME's hands, noticing the tenderness with each touch and then seeing the sorrow in her expression. She exhaled and fought to hold the tears at bay, there would be time to mourn in what would be the eerie solitude of her home. Coming to rest across from Alexx, she smiled faintly as she gazed into his face, a sole tear escaping. She moved to touch him, but stopped herself. Alexx nodded silently as she put her tools down, a sad smile appearing.

"You won't be hurting anything, baby. Go on."

Megan refocused her attention back to Sean, her hands caressing his face softly. His face felt horribly cold under her touch and her expression crinkled as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her eyes gravitated downward to notice the discoloration on his neck and the Y incision that peeked just above the white sheet. Megan closed her eyes tightly , trying to hold on to that last resolve of strength, there was more work to do before she could allow herself that moment.

"A-Alexx, COD?"

"Broken neck, transecting the spinal cord. Death was instantaneous."

"Any other marks on his body?" Megan asked, her voice faltering slightly as she grasped on to his hand.

"None. The fall did all the work. How the other guy survived, I don't know, but my theory is that Sean took the brunt of the impact."Megan nodded slowly as Alexx looked up into her brown eyes, seeing the depths of her loss, "Are you sure you are up to this , Megan?"

"I have to do this," she replied, her eyes never leaving him. Thousands of memories flooded her and she let go of his hand quickly as if being burned. She steeled herself against the emotions that were building and shook her head, retaining her sights on Alexx.

"You're allowed to grieve, Megan. Don't let this consume you," Alexx responded softly.

The door opened and the two women lifted their gaze to see Tim as he stood there, the despair evident in his eyes. He moved forward, seeing Sean on the slab and adverted his line of sight, resting on Megan, "Horatio's here, Megan."

Megan arched an eyebrow, curiously, as she moved from beside Sean, approaching Tim. She could see fully through his movements how much this was affecting him. Just when the young man was finding his footing, he was face with yet another loss. Moving past Tim, she turned once more, inhaling deeply then walked through the doors. Right now, the only thing she could deal with was herself and her struggle to remain in control of her insurmountable grief that was just waiting for the right time to swallow her whole.

Tim stood for a moment afterwards, trying to find the momentum to move forward. Sean had been a key motivator in Tim's new life in Miami, and now he was gone. He pensively approached the slab and finally let his eyes see his friend. He stared at him intently as if waiting for him to wake up and say something, but Tim knew that wasn't happening.

"It's okay, Timmy. Whatever he was to you, it didn't die along with him," Alexx said gently as she marked on her report. She put the pen down and gazed at the younger man, seeing such intensity that was held well beneath the surface. "The best thing you can do for him is to remember."

Tim tore his eyes from Sean, seeing the compassion etched on Alexx's face. It amazed him to no end to see that, it being rare nowadays. He now realized what he had seen her doing at the scene was apart of her process, what she did to ascertain the truth and understanding of death.

"Thanks," he responded thickly. With a faded smile, he turned around and walked out of the morgue, leaving in his wake the tension of his grief.

Alexx placed a gloved hand on Sean's arm and grinned heavily, " They'll be alright, baby. With time, they will be fine."

/CSI/

The clicking of her boots on the floor of the lab was unnerving to Megan, her mind clouded over in a myriad of thoughts. She preferred that state of mind however, not ready to concede herself over to the grips of grief. For now, she had to keep moving.

Seeing Horatio standing at her office door, she felt a small hint of dread wash over her. Horatio had just lost his brother, and his pending condolences was something that she wasn't able to handle at the moment. She really just wanted to be left alone to think about what had happened.

"Megan, I'm sorry for your loss," Horatio said as she came to rest in front of him.

"Thank you, Horatio."

"If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks. There is one thing," Megan said as she started to pass him, "can you make sure I'm not disturbed? I want to get to work as soon as possible."

"Megan, you should take some time off," Horatio replied, slightly stunned at her coldness.

"I'll take some time when I finish the case. Until then, back off."

The door opened and closed swiftly and Horatio stood for a second before making his way down the stairs. Everyone had their own way of grieving, he knew, but he was concerned that instead of grieving, Megan was heading towards a road of self destruction. A road he knew all too well himself.

/CSI/

Yelina stood at the patio door, staring out into the vastness of the Miami night, holding her arms against her body. She had heard over the scanner about the accident that had taken Sean Donner's life, and couldn't help but correlate that to Ray's demise. True that his was most likely self induced, but loss was loss, and right now, Yelina was feeling it deeper than she had in months. Even though she should've been used to his absence, she still felt the cold , hard truth of loneliness because, in that truth, he would never walk through those doors again.

A soft knock pulled her out of her reverie and she turned towards the door, glancing at the clock. Noting the time, she moved effortlessly to the door, expectantly. As already known, he stood at the other end of her door frame, a tired look that covered the revisit of his own brother's demise. She gestured for him to enter, watching him intently as he walked stiffly into the living room, his silence a bit unnerving. Closing the door, she reached him, her eyes exuding the concern that he once held for her. Her hand grasped at his arm, pulling his eyes towards her, their sadness piercing her very heart.

"Horatio?"

Silence still covered him as he leaned into her embrace, holding her tightly. Since Raymond, there moments of true revelations of their feelings were few and far between, but never crossing that line. Yelina was still his sister in law, and he couldn't tread over his brother's memory in that manner, despite what his heart was telling him.

Realizing that he had held her longer than what was comfortable to him, he pulled away and looked into her brown eyes, seeing concern. Shaking his head lightly, he smiled , it not quite making it to his eyes. Every moment in her presence was a confusing one. His heart knew love, but his sensibility called to all the reasons why it was wrong to feel this way about her. He wondered if it would always be this way between them.

"No worries, Yelina. I'm fine."

"I heard about Sean. How's Megan?"

"Dealing with it in her own way," he responded with an escaping breath, remembering her coldness. "She's at the lab."

"At the lab? Shouldn't she be..."

"Yelina," Horatio started, a warning tone to his voice. He could remember the days after Raymond's death, not wanting to be around anyone, finding every reason under the sun to plant himself under a microscope looking for his brother's killer. He knew how it felt to be in Megan's shoes. " We all have our ways of coping. Just like me, she feels as if she can keep busy, she won't have to face it."

"We all face it at one time or another, Horatio."

"True," he said simply as he exhaled. Standing there had become awkward, and he shifted his weight as he planted his hands on his hips, staring at the ground. Clearing his throat, he finally lifted his gaze and smiled , this time, meaningful and spoke, " How's Ray Jr?"

Yelina shot a look in the direction of her son's room and then returned back to Horatio, " He's alright. Says that some kids are teasing him about his father. I'm worried about him."

"I'll have a talk with him," Horatio responded as he tilted his head, "And what about you?"

"Me?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow, a small smirk arising.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm good," she lied, adverting her gaze. Horatio knew instantly that she wasn't telling the truth, but let it slide, remembering his words just seconds earlier. She was still trying to face it head on, despite the year that had passed already. Turning her head, she noticed Horatio staring at her, and an slight expression of discourse came about her. "I'm telling the truth, Horatio. I- I'm fine."

"Yelina,..."

"Uncle Horatio!" came the exuberant sounds of his nephew's voice. Horatio turned to take the young boy in his arms, embracing him tightly. Pulling away from him, his smile grew as he saw hints of his father deep within the brown eyes. The troubling thing was, he also saw the mischievousness there as well, a second trait that he received from his father. "You don't come by any more. What are you doing here?"

Horatio sighed heavily, not wanting to explain his true reasons for coming, and for the fact that the boy had just called him out on his failure to stick to his part of the plan. The actual truth of it all was that he couldn't look at his nephew long and not see his deceased brother.

"Just dropped by," he shrugged. " You have any plans for the weekend?"

The young boy looked to his mother who grinned as she shrugged her shoulders lightly, "Mom, can I?"

"Whatever you two have planned, I don't want to be privy to," she remarked, the smile growing. Seeing her son with Horatio livened her heart, almost as if this was where she was supposed to be from the beginning, and not a grieving widow. Again, her choices were staring back at her.

/CSI/

Megan sat behind the desk, her chest heaving with the expended tears that were cascading down her face. In the stillness of her office, where she was surrounded by pictures of their life together, it finally dawned on her that he was gone. For hours now, she had sat behind her desk, glancing up from her files, expecting him to come through the door, pulling her away from her work. There had been many nights that they spent there, both tied down with cases that needed attention, and the memories of those nights now haunted her, as would the ones she would face when she returned to her home. Home. Was it really a home now? Could she face the prospect of entering a shell, being one herself?

Picking up the picture of them smiling , him standing behind her, she smiled slightly through the tears and caressed his face. He had been a man of the streets, born and bred there, surviving any way he could, and she could concede that it was that demeanor of survival and fight that made him more attractive to her. Megan always loved a challenge, and Sean Donner was that and then some. The glint of her wedding band caught her eye and she sighed, her breath coming shakily. She was instantly thrown into the memories of their wedding day, being married on the beach as the waves pounded the shore line, the sun setting behind them in the West. That day was beautiful, in that she was marrying the man who was her everything. Now an entirely different day was opposing her, one that she didn't want to see come to fruition. Truth be told, she didn't want to stay here, or even at her home. There was just too much of him around.

Getting up quickly, she pulled her jacket roughly and made for the door. In the process, the picture that she held in her hands had dropped from the desk, the glass shattering on impact. Hurrying back to the picture, she bent down and retrieved it, picking the pieces of glass from the frame. Staring at it again, she stood up and slipped it out of the frame, tossing it on her desk haphazardly. She retained her stride and opened the door, closing it tightly. Just like her frame, Megan Donner had been shattered. And only a couple of days were standing in between her and her escape.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

From The Beginning

Ch 8

Horatio walked through the doors of the Chief's office, smiling lightly at the receptionist who regarded his presence with a simple nod of her head. She depressed a button and gestured towards the door, her ruby red lips growing in smile , the slim black reading glasses falling on her narrow nose. Horatio almost chuckled aloud at the observation, but held it in check as he continued to walk. His focus was now on why he had been called into the Chief's office at eight thirty in the morning.

Before he could get to the door, he could hear the sounds of the Chief, obviously talking to someone heatedly. Everything had been tensed in the days since Sean Donner's death; Megan had taken off mysteriously, leaving only a letter of intent behind, stating that she would return when she had 'completely dealt with the death of Sean.' The chaos that ensued at the lab at Megan's absence was unreal, and the Chief had to work fast to cover. Horatio seriously thought that it would be Stetler that he would call on, but as soon as he had stepped into the atrium , with Stetler following close behind, with a message that the Chief wanted to speak with him as soon as possible, he knew that it would be him.

Horatio opened the door, his eyes lighting on the figure sitting in the executive chair, his expression clouded over. He glanced up briefly , waving Horatio in and Horatio entered, taking a seat in one of the two brown leather chairs that sat in front of the massive desk. The Chief sighed heavily and abruptly placed the phone back on the cradle, and rubbed his eyes despairingly. There was nothing easy about running the City of Miami's police force.

"Detective," he started with a sigh. "I asked you here to discuss some impertinent issues. As you know, Lieutenant Donner has taken a leave of absence, and with due cause. She has suffered a great loss." Horatio nodded and the Chief continued, finally setting his grey eyes on the man, a smile coming , "That being said, I would like to offer you the position of day shift supervisor."

Horatio was taken by surprise by the offer, his eyes widening tremendously. In all fairness, he thought that Stetler should get it, solely by seniority. Never did he think this would come about.

"Ah, Chief, that's great , but are you sure I'm the right one for the job. There's Rick Stetler..."

"Who will promptly be assigned to IAB. The swing shift is going to be fully modified to accommodate your promotion to Lieutenant. Caine, I've seen your work, your dedication to your job, and the way you identify with the citizens of Miami. I want you to take the offer."

"Chief, I'm flattered," Horatio responded, his voice stumbling somewhat, "but I have to be truthful here, I'm not the best person to put out in front of a camera, or politico types. I just do my job."

"And that is what I like about you most, Caine. Your ability to see past the bullshit, and get the job done. The numbers on swing tell the tale that you should be the one heading up the Crime Lab. Your convictions hold up as well."

For a slight moment, Horatio held the pride that swelled in his chest , knowing that he was making a difference. That moment passed quickly as he centered his gaze on the Chief. If he took this position, there would have to be some compromises made.

"If I take this Chief, I have one condition," Horatio spoke, his voice retaining the steadiness that had faltered him earlier.

"Okay, let's hear it," the Chief requested, sitting back.

"I make my own team," Horatio answered as he ticked off the names in his head. The Chief narrowed his eyes a bit and gestured him to continue. " I want Timothy Speedle on trace, Calleigh Duquense in firearms, Eric Delko in fingerprinting, and Alexx Woods to be the ME in charge of the day shift."

The Chief laughed heartily as he crossed his arms, shaking his head. The red head had a pair on him, he had to admit. After a second of consideration, he nodded and said, "Done. Anything else?"

"Not that this will matter, because, if she came back , I would relinquish this..."

"Megan Donner will return as one of your CSIs , if she does in fact return. She was an effective leader, but after this, after Sean, I don't know how productive she would be for the lab," the Chief answered truthfully. "I'm doing what's best for the lab, Caine. And what I think is that you and your team will do your jobs effectively."

Horatio nodded, respecting the Chief's candor and leaned forward as the Chief slid something towards him. When the Chief's hand disappeared, the gold shield came into view, the word Lieutenant etched across. He stared at it for a moment before taking it into his hands , feeling the letters with his fingers. Silently, he replaced it with his old badge and began to stand, feeling almost immediately, the importance of what he was given.

"Thank You, Chief Parsons," Horatio stated as he nodded slightly.

"You are welcome, and because you are just coming off shift, you can have the day."

"Oh, no, Chief, I'll be fine. I want to get to work as soon as possible, get my team together."

"Good enough," the Chief said as he got up from his desk, coming towards Horatio. They walked together to the door, it opening slightly just as Rick came through, his eyes gravitating towards the badge. The Chief quickly shook Horatio's hand and said, "If you need anything , don't hesitate to ask."

"I won't, and thanks again, Chief," Horatio responded as he caught the glare from Rick. With a small grin, he walked out, practically feeling the hatred hitting him like a wave.

"Stetler, come in and take a seat," Horatio heard as the door closed slowly, " Tell me, what do you think of a change to IAB?"

/CSI/

He surfaced with the body, the heat of the day hitting him all at once. He pulled the bloated body from the bog as his partner reached in to help him. Getting to the shore line, Eric pulled the mouthpiece out of his mouth and breathed in deeply, exhaling as he bent at his knees. As much as he loved swimming, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. When he joined the lab, he was sure he was going to get the fingerprinting job, but Donner had put him on a list, a list that seemed to grow with every passing day. He definitely wanted to stay in the loop, so he signed on to do underwater recovery until the position opened up. It at least kept the bills paid, and truth be told, he couldn't beat working on his diving skills on the county's time.

As the Coroner's van pulled up, a shadow crossed him and he glanced up to see the red hair, the dark sunglasses standing out against his pale skin tone. Eric stood straight up, taking another deep breath before he started to speak, taking the mask and pulling it over his head. It was very rare that he saw Horatio on one of his scenes.

"Horatio, what brings you out? Surely, it's not the beauty of Miami's peet bogs," Eric quipped as his partner shook his head with a snicker.

"Actually, I came out to talk to you, Eric," Horatio said as Eric peeled off the tank.

Eric set the tank down heavily and began to pull back on the gloves he was wearing, a slight smile rising, "Talk?"

"Yeah, I heard that the position in fingerprinting opened up this morning, came by to see if you were still interested."

"You heard what? How can that be , I just checked on that position yesterday? And by the looks of things, I'd say it would be a long time before that opened up."

"Things have a way of working out. Interested?" Horatio asked, smirking.

"Oh am I," Eric responded, glancing over at his partner. "Hey, Jamieson, you mind if I catch a ride back with ..."

"Lieutenant Caine," Horatio answered as Eric did a double take.

"Lieutenant?" Eric asked, arching an eyebrow. "Moving up in the world , are we?"

Horatio chuckled and repeated, "So, interested?"

/CSI/

Calleigh walked in from the gun vault, running the specs through her head. Since arriving in Miami, she had no problems with getting along with everyone, all the staff in the firearms lab had taken a fast liking to the spitfire southerner, making working and the transition easier for her. With her mind solely on the numbers, she didn't see the lab tech as he stood by the table, walking into him. As an apologetic and angelic smile came quickly, she braced herself against the table, worried that she may have hurt the guy.

"Oh, Mark, I'm so sorry. I was a little preoccupied," she said sweetly.

"It's fine, Calleigh. Hey, you got the guns from the seize yet?"

"Sure did, I just catalogued them. It was kinda fun."

"Lucky you, oh by the way, there's a message for you from a Horatio Caine?"

"Really?" Calleigh asked, her eyes going wide. When she got to Miami, she found that Horatio was working the swing shift, and she never really had the chance to see him often. Her curiosity sparked somewhat and she smiled again. "Wonder what's that about?"

"I don't know, but the message said as soon as possible. Think you are getting promoted?"

"Promoted? Already? I just got here , Mark."

"Yeah, but when excellence is seen, excellence is rewarded. Always remember that."

Calleigh blinked rapidly, a giggle coming out of her, " Aw, you say the nicest things, Mark. Can you hold down the fort until I get back?"

"No problem," Mark returned with a shrug. Calleigh quickly unbuttoned her lab coat and hung it on the rack, pushing out of the door. Her heart raced with anticipation, for she didn't know what was coming next.

/CSI/

"So, like I was saying, Jack, the thing has an under the tail exhaust system, the cockpit and fairing screening allows for better aerodynamics , and it has a tremendous injection power with the adoption of the twin cylinder engine..."

"Wait a minute," Jack said as he put down a pipette, " I have no idea what you are talking about. What did you buy again?"

"Have you been listening at all, Jack? I said I bought a Ducati 749. Canary yellow. It's...it's a beautiful thing."

Jack shook his head and clicked his tongue , "Son, you really have to find yourself a girlfriend."

"Now, why does everyone naturally assume because a man puts all his effort in something, that he is lonely? I happen to like motorcycles," Tim responded irritably.

"Yeah, right. So this Ducati, you drove it to work?" Jack asked, picking up the pipette once more.

"It's the only mode of transportation I have, Jack. So, yeah, I drove it to work."

"Mind if I took a look at it after shift?"

"I thought you said you didn't have any idea of what I was talking about," Tim stated as he turned to him slowly.

"I'm a guy, shiny new toys please me, even if I don't know what I'm seeing."

Tim snickered and returned to his work, ignoring the door as it swung open, "Hey, you guys, you're needed in the layout room."

Jack shook his head, "I'm kinda busy here at the moment , CJ."

"I've got other things to do," Tim added , gesturing to the microscope.

"He said that you two would do that. It's important."

"He?" Tim asked looking quickly at Jack as he stood up, peeling off the latex gloves.

"Interesting," Jack intoned with a raised eyebrow. The two men followed CJ to the layout room, and walked in seeing Horatio standing with a blond woman to his right , a man standing to his left, and Alexx standing off to the side. Tim eyed the room with apprehension, the tension building as it had done since Megan's departure. Since then, Tim hadn't really bothered with the echelon of the lab, just drawing more into himself. There was only one other person that he could put his faith in and that guy was standing right beside him.

"Nice gathering," he stated rather dryly.

"Good of you to join us, Tim, Jack. Come in and take a seat," Horatio said gently , a small smile on his face. Tim stood for a second, then moved to a seat, with Jack following behind. Once they were settled, Horatio began to speak, " I know that we've all have been through a rough time with the departure of Lieutenant Donner, and that she was virtually , the glue that was holding this lab together, but what's done is done, and there is still the business of solving crimes to get to."

"Don't waste any time there, Chief," Tim remarked sarcastically as he crossed his arms around himself. He shook his head, diverting his gaze downward, then back up to Horatio, " And you can do this job better than Megan?"

"I'm not saying that, Tim. What I'm saying is that changes had to take place to accommodate her absence, and there is still a job left to do. The Chief felt as if this was a right move for the lab, and what he says goes. Now," Horatio said as he turned to the rest of them, "if there is anyone who doesn't agree with this, feel free to leave, but let me say this. I chose each and everyone of you based upon what I saw to be admirable traits, and your efficiency in your field of expertise. There is nothing holding you here, but I want the best for this lab, and for this city."

The group looked at each other and Eric was the first to speak up, raising his hand slightly, "I'm in."

"Count me in too," Calleigh followed up with a wide smile.

"I'm in for the long haul," Alexx retorted , turning to Tim. He stood still, his arms still crossed about him, a sigh and a shrug the only action coming forth.

"Get over it, Speed," Jack muttered through the side of his mouth. He then raised his hand and chipped in, "I'm in. So is this ass, but give him time to thaw."

The sounds of snickering could be heard as Tim glared at Jack, his demeanor less than thrilled. Satisfied that his team was together, Horatio stepped forward, his hands idly fidgeting with his glasses. Now the only thing that was left was to introduce them to each other and see where it progressed from there.

TBC...

A/N: I had the hardest time getting this chapter together. But I'm interested to know if you guys want to continue this, because essentially, we are at the beginning of the show. Let me know what you guys feel about it! And thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

From The Beginning

Chapter 9

She knelt down on the lush green grass, her eyes watering slightly as she felt his hand grasp at her shoulder. Closing them, she grasped onto his hand and felt the trickle of her tears as they fell in rapid succession, a strangled cry bursting forth from her. Yelina Salas was not yet through with her grief, being reminded of it every waking moment when she would lie in their bed, her mind traveling to when it was good between them, the happiness that they shared, or when she gazed upon her son, who was but a splitting image of his father. Not a moment would go by in her life now, that she wasn't met with the ghost of Raymond Caine at each turn. It was in those moments where she was sure she was going to lose herself to the grief that threatened to encase her whole, take her very life. The only thing that was anchoring her to this life was Horatio, doing as he had always done, and what he was doing at that very moment ; standing beside her. She opened her eyes and reached out to touch the stone, the coldness working through to her very bone. Another emotion appeared suddenly, and she snatched her hand away quickly, her eyes hardening. Anger had managed to grow deep within her, anger at the situation he left them in, anger at the fact that he never really considered her in anything. Anger that she was now alone.

Silently, she got up quickly, leaving Horatio to stare at the stone mournfully. With a deep sigh, he dropped his head and blinked, then lifted his gaze to her, seeing the anguish that ran intricately through her as she stood against the wind, her curly brown hair pushing behind her. His heart beat surpassed its normal rate, his hands going to the sunglasses and removing them from his face before approaching her. The relationship was still in an awkward stage, the grief of them both setting the stage. No matter what, the specter of Raymond Caine still loomed, and as always, hindered them in what they knew to be true.

"Yelina?" he questioned softly coming a few feet behind her. Horatio recognized when space was needed and relished it at the moment.

"I'm fine, Horatio," she returned, her tone reticent of bitterness. "How could he have done this to us?"

He stood silently, gazing at her stature, seeing the hints of strength that was slowly returning back to her. In the past, there was nothing that Yelina couldn't stand up to, but with years and disappointments passed, little of the old Yelina had survived. He wanted to embrace her, to hold her and assure her that she was safe, that she was viable, but there was something prohibiting him from crossing that line. And even though he was dead and gone, Raymond still remained, a reminder of what Horatio wanted but couldn't have.

"Raymond,...Raymond never really saw what his actions did to others," Horatio responded as he gazed off into the distance. The sun had started its trek towards dusk, it's bright beams still permeating through the atmosphere heavily, causing Horatio to lift his head towards it, taking in its radiating heat. If not for the gentle breeze blowing, flapping the green shirt lightly, he wasn't sure how much longer he would survive out there.

Yelina shook her head, a crook of a smile appearing, her eyes narrowing at Horatio, "Oh, I think Ray knew exactly what he was doing to others. It was typical of him, the deceit. Almost like he couldn't walk a straight line even if there was a gun to his head."Horatio could feel the spite in her words, her defeat showing in her gestures, her hands going out in front of her, the brown curls moving with her slight movement, " I don't know what to feel any more, Horatio."

His shoulders slumped more , realizing at that proclamation that he too felt somewhat numbed by his brother's actions. Before he could answer her, the sound of his phone chirping grabbed his attention and he turned away from her, quickly putting the phone to his ear. Yelina watched him with a smile on his face as he spoke with hushed tones, as if speaking too loudly would desecrate the grounds. The authority that had now been put on his shoulders with being the lab supervisor agreed with him and she could instantly tell that this was turning out to be a good thing for him. Hearing the conversation coming to a close, she shifted her weight and pulled a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, connecting to his instantaneously.

"Work?"

"Yes, I'm afraid. Yelina..."

"Go , Horatio. I will be fine," Yelina responded, waving him off nonchalantly.

Horatio stood there for a moment longer, his hesitancy to move very apparent. It was never his custom to leave her in the state she was in, but from her strong tone that she was now conveying, he understood that this was a moment that she perhaps needed to be alone. With small smile and a light sigh, he replaced his glasses on his face and dropped his hands to his hips, his demeanor speaking to the fact that he had more to say. The words not forthcoming, he turned silently and started to walk away, Yelina watching him for a short time before returning her sullen gaze towards the stone once more, shaking her head. One day, they would learn how to cross over that fence that they had so intricately built.

/CSI/

Calleigh sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead roughly, the phone burning her ear. A headache was beginning to form and she fought for it to stay at bay; she had evidence on the scopes, and had just paged Horatio to report her findings. She couldn't deal with this right now, nor did she desire to deal with it . Closing her eyes, her fingers massaged the side of her head as she continued to listen to him ramble on. When she left New Orleans, she thought she was leaving all of her baggage behind. Not true, not by a long shot.

"Daddy, you just have to give her time," she said, her tone noticeably irritable. This was the fourth time in a week he had called her drunk, going on and on about his problems with her mother and their marriage. For so long, when she was younger, she had to take the brunt of what Kenwall Duquense could inflict, but now that she was older, and a lot more wiser, she felt as if the time to cut ties had arrived. Family was important to her, but at the same time, she wanted experience life without the constant drama that seemed to follow her father.

"Lambchop," Kenwall slurred, " she never understands me. I just want her to understand me."

"Maybe she would , if you would stay out of the bottle long enough, Daddy," Calleigh replied harshly. The second the words left her mouth, she felt the sting and winced. "Daddy...I,.."

"It's alright, Lambchop. I know," he simply huffed.

The silence that followed was thick, Calleigh beginning to nervously tap her fingers on the table top. She looked up at the door to see Horatio standing , an expectant look about him. Calleigh straightened herself more and took a deep breath before letting it escape, a smile appearing. Damage had been done, but there was no time to repair it now.

"Daddy, I have to get back to work. Call a cab to make sure you get home , ok?"

"Okay," Kenwall grumbled.

"Swear to me , Daddy. Get home safely," Calleigh challenged, her eyes knitting together. She thought twice to drop everything and go pick him up, but being that she was a newbie in her own right, she didn't have that kind of leverage. Gesturing to Horatio, she waved him in and turned her attention back to the phone, swiping a piece of hair away from her eyes. " Call me when you get home."

After his reply, Calleigh put the phone back on the hook and took a moment to gather herself before looking up into the clear blue eyes of her LT. She could instantly see something within his gaze, the same sense of a broken spirit dwelling deep within. But like Calleigh, Horatio had become a master at shrouding his true feelings. He placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head sideways, a pleasant but concerned smile treading on his face.

"Everything alright?" he asked cooly.

"Fine," she replied lightly. She then turned to the scopes, scooting closer to the table, " I found some interesting characteristics on the bullet, the striations were elongated, possibly due to the barrel being altered."

"Anyway of identifying it?"

"Do crawdads swim in mud?" she asked, her accent thickening. "I'm running it through IBIS right now."

"Good enough," Horatio responded , letting his hands drop to his sides. It was as if he had something to add, but thought better of it, instead, offering up another plastered smile. " Don't stay too late. Leave some work for the swing shift."

Calleigh chuckled lightly and waved him off, " Oh, as soon as this is done with, I'm out of here. I still haven't had a chance to check out the night life of Miami. Even though New Orleans is pretty hardcore, I've been hearing a lot about the clubs down here."

Horatio's eyes widened as his eyebrows lifted, " Well,... let's just say that they have an interesting aspect about them."

Calleigh again chuckled as she turned her chair to the computer screen just as the bullet hit, "And wonders never cease. The bullet came from a gun registered to our suspect. Isn't he on ice right now?"

" I can get Homicide to round him up," Horatio said as he fished the phone out of his pocket, flipping it up. "Now, you..."

"No need to finish that sentence," Calleigh notified as she got up and shed her lab coat. "I'm out the door, and down the street. See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Horatio returned as he began his conversation . Glancing at the clock, a sudden feeling came over him, and he started walking. As much as his burden was heavy, he still felt the need to unwind and relax. And he knew just the way to do it.

/CSI/

"Are you in or out?" Tim asked as he peered into the scopes, then jotting a quick note. He stood away from the surface of the table, glancing up at Jack who was busy sealing an evidence envelope, shaking his head. With four scenes collected, Jack had to wonder if the kid was running on batteries. He had no more intended on going out tonight than he had of sawing his right hand off, it just wasn't going to happen. But, he instantly recognized what Tim was doing; in the effort to push Sean's death away, he was keeping himself busy. He hadn't out right ran this time, but it was avoidance of the same measure.

"I'm no good for things like that anymore , Speed," Jack replied nonchalantly. The truth was in his words, more and more Jack had started to feel his age, even in the work he was doing. But even so, he still didn't want Tim to be left to his own devices. He was a bright young man, who had a strong future ahead of him, if he could just wrestle the past from his firm grip. Jack had charged himself with this task, hoping to keep him on the straight and narrow. "Besides, Meredith needed me to do some things around the house. Apparently, catching criminals all day isn't enough to warrant a peaceful night at home."

Tim chuckled at his sarcasm and adverted his eyes back to the scopes in front of him, a deep sigh following. It wasn't like he needed to be baby sat, but he really didn't want to go out by himself. He needed release in the worst way, and by going out alone, he would do nothing but sabotage it and find himself home, confining himself into the world he had built after Sean's death. Getting out would be good for him.

"That new club is opening tonight. Hives."

Jack grimaced as he waved him off, turning to toss the now sealed envelope into the crate, ready for transport, "Speed..." His voice trailed off as he saw Delko coming down the corridor, flipping through a file and samples in hand. A quick thought flashed through his mind and his expression lightened. "I'm not interested, but you can ask Delko."

"Delko?" Tim questioned s the door opened rapidly.

"What?"Eric answered absently, looking up from the file, the confusion slightly readable in his eyes. "What did I do now?"

Jack snickered loudly as he leaned on the table, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Since the young Cuban had joined the team, his days in the lab were marred by one incident after another. Eric ,of course, thought that he was going to be tossed, but the rest of them saw the determination that he had and assured him that just about every green CSI made the same mistakes. Even Tim had tried to help every so often, but he still kept his distance from him. Right now, he was a liability that he just couldn't have around.

"Nothing. Speed here is gonna check out that new club on Collins. What did you say the name of it was?"

"Hives," Tim retorted blandly, giving Jack a stiff glare. "But, it's not neces-..."

"Nah, bumpkus. It' s a new hoppin' spot. I'm sure Delko wouldn't mind. Would you?"

"Ah, no," Eric responded snickering, his eyebrows raising up slightly. He gestured to the samples and addressed Tim, " I just got this from autopsy."

Tim took the samples in hand and glanced them over, seeing a time stamp on them, "Delko, this was stamped over four hours ago. What took you so long?"

"It was?" Eric asked, sighing heavily as he leaned in more. Closing his eyes, the realization that he had goofed up once more inched up on him and he shook his head, " I'm sorry, Speedle. I missed that."

"It's alright," Tim answered back irritably. "Nothing that can't be fixed. But next time, pay attention to the package."

"Got it," Eric said as he mentally logged it. "So, meet you there?"

"Sure, no problem," Tim said, his tone teetering on annoyance. He shot another look at Jack who continued to smirk and quickly returned back to his work.

With his answer, Eric walked out of the lab, leaving Tim to abandon the scope and turn full on to Jack, who seemed to be having just a little too much fun with this.

"Aw, Timmy's got a hanging partner. How cute."

"Funny, really," he growled back. "Thanks a lot, Jack."

"Hey, I told you, you need a girlfriend, my man," he shot back, a huge smile racing across his face. "There's nothing wrong with Delko, and besides, this will give you time to get to know your teammate. You have your hanging partner, he's agreed to it. Problem solved."

"You are a riot, you know that, right?"

"Ain't I though?" Jack inquired, a smile crinkling at his eyes. He slipped off the lab coat and hung it up, walking to the door. Before walking through it, he turned once more, " Have fun!"

Tim fought with the urge to toss something at his friend, instead finishing up what he had. Regulating himself to the fact that he was now going to spend an entire night with the newbie, he felt his demeanor fade some. With a sigh, he wrote a note and then flipped the file closed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

/CSI/

The music was loud, the bass reverberating off of the green walls of the club. Calleigh had been in many a clubs in her life, but none as decadent as Hives. Her eyes took in the wonderment of the atmosphere, the sea of bodies moving in rhythmic time with the music and the presence of scantily clad women walking around with trays of sliced green apples. Scantily, however, was being modest, the truth was that the parts that mattered were covered with plastic wrap adding to the frenzy that was starting to take over the club. Calleigh wound her way through the mass of dancing bodies towards the bar, where there were several young Miamians lined, waiting for the moment that was the talk of the town.

"Nice place ,huh?" a man said as he moved closer to Calleigh. She strained to hear him, leaning her head closer to him, and he repeated his question, meeting her half way, " I said, nice place."

"Oh yeah," Calleigh practically yelled as more people clamored towards the bar, the air turning more tantric. She was mildly shocked to see several ladies, clad in the same attire as the waitresses, lying down on the bar and the young men that accompanied them, holding glass jars of what seemed to be honey. Calleigh arched an eyebrow as the unknown man leaned in more, his cheap cologne assaulting her senses.

"It's about that time," he yelled as he gestured to the woman directly in front of them. "I've been waiting almost all night for this.

Before Calleigh could ask him what he was talking about, the man standing above her began to pour honey down the length of the leggy brunette in front of them, while another waitress came beside them with the sliced apples. The man beside her grabbed a slice and enthusiastically made for the honey covered woman, for the moment forgetting that Calleigh even stood there.

"Interesting," Calleigh said to herself as she smiled harder. Shrugging her shoulders, she took a slice from a passing waitress and dipped it on the leg of the woman. She was game for anything once.

/CSI/

The view from atop the club was massive, every available space visible from the VIP area. Usually, Horatio made his nights out into the city he loved, brief, but with what had happened to him in the past year, he felt as if he was well overdue for a respite. For just one night, he wanted to forget what had befallen him. An associate of his had given him a VIP pass to the club and he thought that there was no harm in checking it out.

Getting his fill of the dance floor, he returned to his seat that was currently being occupied by a beautiful woman , her eyes flashing with lust. A small smile appeared on Horatio's face as he approached, taking the seat next to her. The music changed and she leaned in closer to him, the aroma of her perfume almost intoxicating him. She whispered in his ear lightly, a wicked smile inching over her lips as Horatio chuckled , gesturing to the waitress. He ordered a drink for himself and glanced to her , adding another drink. As the waitress left, he resumed his conversation as the music fused into a frenzied beat, taking with it, for the moment, his problems. Tomorrow would be there, but for the now, Horatio was content on enjoying himself.

/CSI/

Admittedly, it wasn't half bad. Tim eyed the throng of people that crowded the dance floor, nodding his head with the music as his partner for the night, chatted up a tall blond. For the most part, Eric was a decent hanging partner, arriving on time and with no attached baggage and wasted no time in getting down with the program. As it was, Tim could readily see several ladies eyeing the Cuban and shook his head at him and his prospect for the moment, ; if nothing, Eric had brought a certain air with him.

"Hey, Speed," Eric said loudly, taping him on the arm, " I'm going to dance."

"Enjoy yourself," Tim called with a grin as he gestured to the blond. Eric returned the gesture and took her hand, leading her away from the bar. Tim ordered another drink and turned back to see Eric starting his dance, knowing the that odds of him leaving with her were very strong. Leaning back, he continued to watch, grinning profusely reminding himself to take Delko to the side tomorrow and talk to him about his dancing. To say it was atrocious was putting it nicely. Laughing , he put the drink to his lips, faintly aware that he was being watched. Cutting his eyes towards her, he saw as she picked up her drink and walked over, a beautiful smile coming easily. Tim gave her the once over and continued nodding his head in appreciation, watching her set her drink down.

"So," she started leaning in closer to him, tossing a strand of sandy brown hair out of her eyes. The close proximity caused a pleasurable tension and Tim turned to her fully, looking into her clear hazel eyes, " nice place."

"It'll do," Tim returned, closing the gap by bringing his lips to her ear. "Interesting."

"I'll say. My name's Pam, Pam Seaver," she answered with a light giggle, extending her hand.

Tim took her hand, instantly noticing how soft it was and smiled harder, "Tim Speedle."

"Tim," she repeated her grin widening as she brought the glass to her lips. "Nice name."

It wasn't a stretch to see that she was well into her drinking, but not so much where she wasn't aware of what she was doing. As if it were possible, she inched closer to Tim and he downed his drink placing it down on the bar. Tonight held it's own possibilities for him as well.

/CSI/

Far from the glitz and lights of Collins, Alexx was slowly closing the door to her daughter's room, hoping that she didn't wake her. After being at work all day, she just wanted to be assured that her family was where they were supposed to be. With all that she saw day in and day out, they were the rock that grounded her and she wasn't satisfied until she knew that they were safe and sound.

Sighing heavily, she crossed the hall to her own bedroom, seeing him on the bed, reading a newspaper. William looked up, offering a small smile as she sat at the foot of the bed, taking off her shoes. The work that his wife did was hard, but he saw the reward that came with it everyday in her eyes when they successfully caught a suspect and trotted them off to jail. It was in Alexx's nature to help, and he was sure that she was doing more than her share of that. But what mattered was that she was happy in what she was doing, and by all accounts, she was. He could admit that the transition to Miami wasn't an easy one, but if it made his family happy, he would do it all over again.

"Rough day, Lex?" he asked, folding the newspaper and moving behind her. Watching her rotate her head, he placed his hands on her shoulders and began to massage slowly, hearing her release a slow breath. Under his hands, he could feel the knots, that had been building all day, as they slowly unraveled, relaxing .

"You don't know the half of it," she returned slowly, relishing the gentle touch of her husband. " A triple homicide on the causeway, the cooler broke down, and a body mysteriously disappeared and reappeared within a two hour window. Suffice to say, it was chaos today."

"And I thought New York was bad," he chuckled as he kneaded a little more. "I thought the idea was to work smarter, not harder."

"It's all in a days work, Will. I love what I do. All this other stuff is just the collateral that comes with it. I made it home in one piece, that's all that matters," Alexx answered. Putting a resting hand on his, she turned to look at him, a sideways smirk making its way onto her face. " And how was your day today?"

"Run of the mill lawyer stuff. Nothing to write home about."

"Will," Alexx warned, knowing the tone. It was now her turn to be the comforting mate. "Spill with it, William."

"Alexx, it's nothing really. I just got handed the biggest case of my career is all."

"You got it, you got the Valesquez case? Oh honey, that's great," Alexx exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. For almost a week, there had been a discussion about a potentially big case that was circulating in his region. Now that he had it, there was now the issue of coordinating times for the children. None of that mattered though, because of the support that Will had given her, she was equally ready to do the same in return.

"Yeah, but what does this mean for Bryan and Janie? It's hard enough with the hours that you work,..." he said before she put a hand to his mouth.

Shaking her head, she narrowed her eyes at him, " Don't say it. You've gone the distance for me, Will, I can do the same. I'm sure I can swing it. I'm not the only ME that they have."

"Just the best," Will remarked as she dropped her hand and smiled heavily at him. "It amazes me to no end how you can come from nowhere and exceed everyone's expectations."

"I'm just well liked. They are a decent set of people, Speed though,...that boy worries me to no end."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, it's something. He's taking Sean's death pretty hard."

"Lex, don't worry yourself about Tim, he's a big boy," Will chided playfully.

Alexx shoved at him as she got up, "Just the same, I'm going to keep my eyes on him."

"Hey, wait, where are you going?" Will asked, his arms held out.

"You're a big boy, you can handle yourself, can't you?" Alexx asked with a wink. Will laughed as he got up quickly, following her to the bathroom. The things he would do for the love of this woman.

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

From The Beginning

A/N: Thanks to Rebecca for supplying me with the inspiration and development for this chapter!

A/N #2: After a long bout with writer's block, here's an offering!

Chapter 10

Eric pushed through the doors of the trace lab, a grin placed firmly on his face. Last night was astronomical, and he wanted to thank Speed himself for inviting him, meaning to do so before he left, but realized that the senior CSI had left without him. If it hadn't been for Speed, Eric wouldn't have had the time of his life. The phone on his side started to ring, causing Tim to raise his head slightly, shaking it as he continued to work.

"You know, when they call you on those little things, it's pretty likely that it's important," Tim said as he moved from in front of the scopes.

"So, that's what they are for? Thanks for that newsflash, Speed." Eric replied , the smile still firmly attached as he sat down next to him. "So?"

"So?" Tim returned, taking a momentary glance at him, the irritation starting to take shape. He let the rookie slide with calling him by his nick name, and this little game of catch up wasn't going to put him in the best of moods. Besides, it was none of Delko's business.

"So, I saw you with a girl," Eric egged on despite feeling that this conversation should've been finished two minutes prior. "And she looked like she was digging you."

Tim sighed heavily, " None of your business."

"C'mon, Speed. I saw you, you looked as if you were digging her too."

Tim smiled faintly as he thought about his evening, and how it had slowly progressed, capping off with him taking Pam home and exchanging phone numbers along with a parting shot. Nothing heavy happened, but he was quite content with the knowledge that he was indeed going to see her again. Shaking himself out his thoughts, he frowned as he slid a file towards Eric, gesturing to it .

"Since you are so punctual, you get the first case of the day," Tim said nonchalantly. " Alexx is waiting for you in the morgue."

"Thanks for that, Speed. I appreciate it," Eric responded, leafing through the file quickly. "What's the story?"

"Possible GSW to the head," Tim returned steadily. Inside, he was ready to burst, the moment that Jack had foretold had arrived. "Might want to get down there and collect the evidence. Calleigh will probably meet you down there."

" Have you seen her this morning?" Eric inquired as he leaned in some, as if he held a secret.

"No, should I have?"

"I heard that she ah, arrived a bit impaired."

Tim shrugged and turned back to his work, " Maybe she had one of those nights. You should get down there."

Eric nodded as he held up the file and walked out, heading towards the fingerprinting lab. He would first stop by there, put on his lab coat and move on to the morgue. He felt a change swirling around him, giving him a sense of finally getting into the swing of things. Catching an elevator, he flipped through the file once more and waited patiently for the lift to travel downwards. Once he made it, the doors slid open, and he met Calleigh just as she was about to push through the double doors. At first glance, Eric could see the hints of whatever she had partaken of the previous night, but she was obviously good at concealing, because another glance told another story.

"Calleigh, how was your night?" Eric asked lightly as they both went through the doors together. Calleigh was slightly taken by his forward action but grinned, her eyes lighting even more. The color in her cheeks rose and she took a glance downward, remembering very well what she had done.

"Pretty good. Went to the grand opening of a new club. Run of the mill type, you know," she answered as she tried to maintain her focus . Quick memories flashed through her mind as she shifted her weight, the air suddenly seeming to get thicker. It would be a long time before she had another night out on the town like that. "But," she started as the doors opened once more, noticing Alexx as she came in from the other side, "that's another story for another time. Good morning , Alexx."

"Morning," Alexx responded as she stood in front of the pot slipping on an oven mitt , taking a spoon in hand. Eric snickered and her eyes gravitated towards him, a smile of her own rising. "What's so funny, Delko?"

"What, are we making, gumbo? What's with the pot?" Eric asked as Calleigh started to chuckle, but held it in tightly. "What?"

Alexx put the spoon down and took off the oven mitt, slipping on a pair of latex gloves as she approached a covered body. With one swift move, she uncovered the body and reached for the clipboard as if there wasn't a headless corpse lying in front of her. Eric's smile waned as he gulped hard, feeling the lump in his throat increase. His eyes shifted from the headless body to the simmering pot, shifting his weight uneasily as the two women peered at him intently.

"Eric," Alexx asked as she glanced to Calleigh, "Eric, are you alright?"

"I- uh...is that..." Eric said as he pointed to the pot his color turning. Alexx moved towards the pot once more, checking it and satisfied that it was done.

"Is it what, suga?" Alexx asked, putting the catcher in, and lifting it. As she pulled it up, the last of the skin slothed off and she peered at it, pointing with her free hand, " Now that's an impressive GSW."

Eric felt his knees give way as he toppled to the floor, Calleigh bending to attend to him. Alexx set the now pristine skull on the opposite tray and snapped off her gloves, bending to help. Calleigh couldn't help but snicker as they turned him over, giving him more air to breathe.

"Well, this is a new one," Alexx quipped as he started to come around. Lifting him up gently, she spoke in a softer tone, trying to hide her amusement. It always tickled her on how people reacted to the mechanics of death. "Eric, take it easy now, slowly."

Holding his head, he opened his eyes and looked between them, a scowl growing quickly. As they helped him to his feet, he shook his head and exhaled, " This doesn't leave this room."

"Sure," Calleigh answered with a laugh as she stood back, "are you alright to stand by yourself?"

"I'm fine," Eric groused, rubbing his head. "Remember, it doesn't leave this room. I'm serious."

"Oh come on, Eric, everyone has their moments with their first head wound," Calleigh rhapsodized with a smile. "We've all been through it, even Speed."

"Speed," he cringed now knowing who put the wheels in motion. Both Alexx and Calleigh laughed more as he sighed, gesturing to the body, "Alright, well, what about him?"

Alexx calmed , wiping at her tears of laughter with the heel of her hand, moving back to her position above the body. Calleigh glanced to Eric as they went through the particulars, watching as he focused intently on the information given. Despite the practical joke, Eric was now all business. It was a refreshing to see such determination on his part.

With the post over, the two CSIs left the morgue and stood at the elevator bank waiting for the elevator to come. The silence was nervous, Eric absently tapping his fingers on his hips while Calleigh tried to suppress a smile, keeping her eyes on the floor beneath them. Unable to hold it any longer, Calleigh unleashed a hearty laugh just as the elevator slid open and watched as he shook his head as he entered. It was then that Eric knew that he would never live this down.

/CSI/

Driving up to the scene, Horatio put the Hummer in park, raised up the steering wheel then exited the vehicle. Even though it was early morning he could feel the heat and humidity promising the day to be hot and sticky. Taking a moment, he surveyed the scene, then walked towards Detective Frank Tripp, noticing the Texan's demeanor easily. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked towards the two bodies that were strewn about, already approaching the scene in his mind.

"What do you have, Frank?" Horatio asked, his tone business like as he lifted his sights to the horizon, the heated Miami sun working its appeal.

"Looks like a gang shooting," Frank answered as he flipped his note pad up. Glancing away towards the scene, he continued, "Two dead, one survivor and he's headed to the hospital as we speak." Making a notation, he sighed heavily, " Seems simple enough, Horatio. Street punks taking care of business and all that."

"There's nothing simple about murder, Frank," Horatio reminded him with a slight smirk as he tapped at his shield on his belt. " What's the condition of the survivor?"

"Miguel Hernandez , twenty -two, gunshot wound to his chest but still concious when taken," Frank said as he read off his information. "The paramedics offered that it looked far worse than it was. Try telling that to Hernandez," Frank quipped as he folded his notebook down.

Horatio smiled as he gazed off towards the scene, seeing the ME arriving. Making a quick decision, he turned back to Frank, "I'm going to go the hospital to speak with Mr. Hernadez, along with collecting his clothes for trace, maybe between the two , we can find out what happened here." Horatio started walking as he called out, " I'm on my cell Frank."

Frank gestured to him as he slipped his note book into his pocket, walking towards the ME , shaking his head. If his reputation preceded him, he knew that the new Lieutenant was going to get down to the bottom of this, on his own terms.

/CSI/

Horatio entered into the emergency room bay, the flurry of action being almost immediate. He stood at the admittance desk, watching with a keen eye as the door slid open and a doctor came out of the trauma room, her eyes set in a stern gaze. He was instantly taken with her, tilting his head somewhat as he thought he recognized her from somewhere. Watching her more, Horatio took notice of her dark hair that was put up in a bun, a stray strand falling over her hazel eyes as she talked with a nurse, flipping it out of her sight irritably. With a small smile, he approached, taking off his sunglasses and holding them in his hands as he cleared his throat somewhat, brining her attention to him. She looked him over and continued speaking with the nurse for a second longer before affording him with all of her attention.

"You know, you're not supposed to be back here," she informed matter of fact as she crossed her arms about her. Horatio nodded and adverted his eyes then bringing them back up to see her name stitched on the lab coat, the stethscope dangling precariously from her neck. His eyes met hers and his hands went to his hips, her attention now to the shield that was clipped on his belt. "Oh, I see, one of Miami's finest. I'm Doctor Carmen Mendoza, I think I'm working on your victim."

"Lieutenant Horatio Caine, CSI," Horatio started smoothly as he looked towards the gurney, seeing the activity surrounding the young Hispanic. "I'm here for Miguel Hernandez and his personal affects."

Carmen arched an eyebrow, "Wow, no please in there at all. You are defintely starting off on the right foot, Lieutenant." Horatio noticed the accent and her dark , coffee colored skin, a small smile coming to his face as she looked to him, "Well?"

"Well, I need to get to him for investigative purposes. He may very well be able to tell me who did this to him. You wouldn't want to impede on an ongoing investigation, now, would you , Doctor? Obstruction of justice is a very serious matter."

" I see," Carmen responded as she turned towards the action, the doors opening quickly, giving way to a more critical case patient that was now entering. Kicking it into gear, Carmen followed the gurney as she glanced to the red haired Lieutenant, "I'll be right with you, Lieutenant."

Horatio nodded as he took a seat and watched the action unfold, folding his arms about him. He could wait it out.

/CSI/

Tim eyed the material on the scopes, comparing it to a journal , squinting . The door opened and he looked up to see Jack walking through with another crate of evidence, setting it down with a heavy sigh. Tim continued to watch the older man, his brow furrowed slightly as he took in his demeanor. Lately, the old Jack had been fading away, erstwhile a new Jack, one that was prone to silence and long thoughtful pauses , started to surface. Tim had joked with him on many occasions about actual retirement, but the laughter from the joking had started to become thoughtful gazes into nothingness.

"Hey, Jack," Tim started as he looked to the scopes again, "I'm having a hard time identifying this, think you can help out?"

Jack pulled an evidence envelope and tossed it to the side, a sigh coming from deep within. He knew very well what the kid was doing, " Speed, you know , as well as I do, that you are the smartest one in here at the moment. It's alright, Tim, honestly."

Tim nodded as he bent to peer into the scope, " What does Meredith think about your plans to retire?"

Jack stopped what he was doing and stared at the envelopes , shaking his head with a small smirk, " For twenty years, this has been my life , Tim. The business of bringing about peace of mind to those in need, piecing together someone's traumatic loss, it's what I did. And I did it well. It's," he said as he looked to him, " it's just time to hang it up, ya know what I mean?"

Tim continued to work, his demeanor dropping with every second, "Um hmm..."

"Don't do that, Speed. It's not like I'm dying or anything. I'm just retiring, you can come and bug the shit out of me at home," Jack chuckled as he exhaled again. Tim lifted his sights to his friend, his mentor and Jack smiled heavily, "It's time to pack it in, Tim. Loss of passion is not good in this line of business. You have to use it to do right by others, to make it better. Always remember that."

"Done," Tim responded with a sharp shake of his head, "now, honestly, I need your help over here, cause I have no idea what I'm looking at."

" You are the king of bullshit artists, I commend you," Jack responded with a snicker as he made his way over to the scopes. Peering down, he raised his eyebrows, " You weren't kidding. Okay, here's how we are going to do this," Jack started as he gestured towards the cabinet of books. "We will do a visual, then compare it to the mass spec. How's that sound?"

"Sounds...okay, ...I guess," Tim responded with a shrug of his shoulders as he anchored a hand to his side. He watched with a smirk on his face, seeing the old Jack making a brief appearance. It would be hard to see him go, but Tim knew that nothing stayed the same, and he was going to have to change along with everyone else.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

From The Beginning

Chapter 11

A/N: I know, I should be ashamed of myself, starting something and not finishing it. Here's my amends. I hope you like!

"So, is it on again or off again?" Eric asked as he pulled the crate off of the Hummer, heading into the lab. He smirked as Tim shook his head in disbelief and held the door open for him, a familiar scowl starting to form. It was familiar in the way that Eric had always seen it from the older CSI, mainly when he himself spoke to him, but despite that, he could easily say that he and Tim had become pretty good friends and excellent partners.

In the months since Jack's retirement, Eric had seen a transition of sorts from Tim, what was once grim and bleak, had come around to sporadic moments of conversations, and even hitting the clubs some nights. Eric liked to think it was his friendly personality that had broken the ice between them, but somehow, he also knew that a little bit of it was Tim. With the absence of Jack, it seemed as if the trace expert delved into himself, and it was something that Eric could tell he didn't like.

"Remind me again, Delko, why it's any of your business?" Tim questioned as he followed him to the evidence locker. His brow stayed in a perpetual state of heightened curiosity, wondering just where Delko came up with this stuff. Eric turned to him and he didn't go the extra step to mask his irritation. If he wanted everyone in his business, he would've announced it at the beginning of shift. "You're not serious, are you? You're really asking me about my personal business?"

"It's not so personal when I saw you with a brunette on your arm last night at the club. So , that undoubtedly tells me that you and Pam are definitely off again," Eric replied smugly. He placed the crate down on the table and smiled , snickering, "Which, by the way, I have to know, did you get said brunette's number?"

Tim sighed frustratingly as he continued to walk through the lab, going towards his lab coat. "You know, Jack and I had this very cool relationship, he stayed out of my business, I stayed out of his. You think you could handle a situation like that?"

Eric feigned hurt with a smile and shook his head, "I tend to think of these little encounters as building on our friendship. Trust me, in a few years, you'll look back on this and laugh."

Tim stared at Eric and shook his head, motioning to the crate, "Mind if we get to work now, Clark Kent?"

"No, by all means," Eric responded, chuckling as he gestured towards the crate , allowing him passage. Tim began to pull the evidence out as Eric looked on, recording the data. Silence fell between them as the rhythm established itself, in which Tim was thankful for. He liked Delko well enough, but the young Russian- Cuban had a curiosity streak that put papparizzis to shame. Just as he thought he was going to get off scot free, Delko cleared his throat, "So, you get her number or not, Speed?"

Placing the last evidence baggie in the locker, he groaned and stared out into nothingness. Working with a partner that wasn't Jack was proving to be something to be desired.

/CSI/

Horatio sat back in his chair as he read the report over and over again, trying to stay in the moment. Often during the day, his mind wandered to her, wondering what she was doing. In the months since Megan had left, Horatio hadn't been able to be as attentive to Yelina as he would've liked, and even so to his young nephew, coming around sporadically, whenever his schedule allowed it. Silently, he cursed this fact, but sighed , realizing that he held no more power over the city's crime rate than the next person, and vowed to himself that he would do better.

A buzz brought him out of his thoughts and he sat up, pulling the chair closer to the desk, reaching for the phone. Clearing his throat, he spoke almost harshly as if being interrupted in his thoughts of his sister in law necessitated his ire.

"Caine."

"Lieutenant, there's someone here for you at the front desk," the desk sergeant said succinctly, "Would you like for me to take a message, sir?"

_A visitor?_ "No, that won't be necessary, Paula. I'll be right down," he responded, his voice lacking interest. Hanging up, he stood and stretched before grabbing his suit jacket, slipping it on effortlessly. Making sure that his badge and ID was in plain sight, he made his way to the door, his mind still wondering who would be visiting. If it were Yelina, her identity would've been ascertained, but as it stood, it was a mystery to him.

It took him less than ten minutes to reach the atrium, each step progressing rapidly as she came into view. A small smile appeared as she turned to see him coming, her hand going up to greet him. With a nod, he waved back and quickened his pace even more. Once he was standing in front of her, his smile brightened even more, her hazel eyes instantly holding his blue eyes, an easy familiarity passing through them.

Since meeting in the ER a couple of months ago, Horatio had been seeing Dr. Carmen Mendoza off and on, keeping it non exclusive. It turned out that the arrangement worked for the both of them ; Horatio's position at the lab commanded virtually all of his time just as Carmen's did in the ER. If nothing, Horatio was seeking the companionship that he knew he couldn't have with Yelina, and it didn't escape him in the least that Carmen possessed alluring hazel eyes, very similar to that of his sister in law's. The difference , of course , was that he was able to fall headlong into her admonishing gaze without worrying about the ramifications.

"Carmen, what brings you down here?"he asked his smile threatening to over take his face. In a day where he needed a little bit of light, she had arrived. "Not that I mind so much. How'd you manage to get away from the ER?"

Carmen laughed lightly as she pulled her long, dark hair from around her neck, tilting her head, " You know, funny thing, there's a such thing called a day off. You might want to check that out sometime." She shifted her weight and let her hand drift to her hip, watching his eyes travel with her movement, "I was wondering if you would be free for lunch?"

Horatio glanced at his watch and then around the atrium. "Give me about thirty minutes and we can have lunch. Have any ideas ?"

"A couple, but sadly, none of them involve actual eating." Carmen arched an eyebrow distinctly, a knowing smirk racing across her face. "I was thinking of something a little more different. If you know what I mean, Horatio."

He chuckled and bowed his head, his eyes staying on the gleaming floor, shaking it, "Never one to mince words." Lifting his eyes to hers, he exhaled , both eyebrows raised, "Tell you what, give me thirty minutes, and we'll discuss lunch arrangements, okay?"

"Thirty minutes?" Carmen asked, her arms now crossing over in front of her. The sun dress fully accentuated her body, exposing her dark skin tone in just the right manner. The wicked smirk appeared once more and she shook her head, "Time's ticking away, Lieutenant. Tick , tock."

He watched her as she came closer, almost close enough to kiss him, his heart starting to race. It had been so long since he could feel that sensation without the baggage of guilt heaved heavily on his shoulders, the feeling had become somewhat foreign to him. Completing her journey, his lips caressed hers for a slight second before he pulled back, smiling.

"I'll call you when I get close, okay?" he asked, his eyes riveted to her lips as she licked them deliciously. "Where are you going to be?"

"Oh, around. Don't take too long, Horatio," she warned as she turned her back to him, showing off her toned musculature from the laps she swam in her very minimal free time. If she wasn't at the hospital, or at home, she was at the pool, getting her laps in. She knew that her body drove him out of his mind , and at every turn, she exploited it. Glancing over her shoulder, she winked at him and smiled, "See you in thirty minutes."

Horatio watched as she walked away, her hips swaying almost hypnotically. The more he watched her walk away, the more he realized that his heart was slowly becoming hers, his desires running rampant through him. Once she was out of sight , he was able to return to reasoning, and he made his way back up to his office to finalize the paper work.

Hurridly, he finished up and closed the files, with just ten minutes left. Grabbing his suit coat, he pulled his phone out and dialed her number, his eyes glistening over in anticipation, "I'm done, where are you?"

"Go to the garage," her voice responded almost sensually.

Horatio smiled and shook his head, slipping on the suit coat. Without the strain of his fractured family, he finally felt as if his life were his own. He was finally making steps from a beginning and not an end.

End


End file.
